To Be Free
by Kronium345
Summary: How far will one go to gain freedom? To have their own fate in their hands? To call their life their own? That freedom can be gained. It can be achieved. It can be earned. All it takes is vengeance, desperation, will, sadness, chaos, death and blood. Lots, and lots of blood.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1:**

In an unknown, barren wasteland of high mountains, stalactites and a dark atmosphere, a medieval castle laid on the highest mountain. The building took the form of a giant, slightly ruined castle. The structure itself was very big in size, containing at least three separate sections all atop one another. The two main bodies of the castle were noticeably square-centred in shape and decorated with numerous crenulations, whilst the turrets and roof of the castle were more curved, their balustrade lined with decorative machicolations and their spires topped with fancy ornaments. At the gate to the castle stood two large statues. It floated on what looked to be an island in the shape of a cube.

Sitting in the main throne room of the castle, a man sat on the throne, cradling a book in his hands. He was a tall, lean young man. He had dark purple hair that was long and wavy, reaching his shoulders even whilst the majority is tied up in a very large ponytail. Additionally, his messy bangs all but obscured his dark, slanted eyes. For clothing, the man wore a long, black jacket trimmed with a light-coloured flame pattern, with a black line cutting through the edge of the fabric. The jacket itself is tattered and splits into four torn fabric segments at the tail. Beneath the jacket, he wore a frilly black v-necked shirt, lined in a lighter colour, along with light-coloured pants that laid lazily over the top of rather plain black boots.

This was Mard Geer, founder of the Dark Guild Tartaros, and the King of the Underworld.

"Soon, Master E.N.D.," Mard Geer spoke, caressing the book tenderly. "You will be released."

"Mard Geer-sama," a voice called out, making Mard Geer look to see who had entered from the door. He saw that it was Kyouka, one of the Nine Demon Gates of Tartaros. She had a very distinct appearance, most notably due to her half-human/half-aviary characteristics. She had an exceptionally large chest and a curvaceous hourglass figure. Covering her form is a skin tight suit that further emphasizes her bust, revealing her thighs. Her shoulders and arms were concealed by a long, striped jacket with flaring sleeves, a four-way split tail back and a tall and gaping collar that completely concealed her neck.

On top of her head was an intricate helmet, covering almost the entirety of her face save for her eyes and mouth. From the sides of the helmet, two long wing-like pieces of hair protrude, curving out around her face. hair falls from the back of the helmet as well, this passing through her hood to fall to her lower back, being wrapped tightly into a thick band. Finishing the helmet is a large gem of sorts, which sits directly over Kyouka's forehead.

"Kyouka. What is it that you bring to Mard Geer?" Mard Geer asked, curious.

Kyouka had a contemplative frown on her face as she spoke. "I was thinking of our plans," she spoke, caution in her voice. She knew how... temperamental Mard Geer got whenever someone was curious or foolish. So she had to choose her words carefully. "Project FACE doesn't commence for quite some time. And while it would no doubt be successful, I feel that we would need... new additions."

"Oh?" came from his mouth softly. Yet Kyouka could hear the underlining threat in his tone. "Are you saying that Tartaros' forces are... lacking?"

"No, no! Of course not, Mard Geer-sama!" Kyouka denied frantically, trying desperately to change the course of direction. "Tartaros' strength is unrivalled! But... what if we can make ourselves stronger?!"

Mard Geer narrowed his eyes. "Mard Geer does not see why Tartaros' 'unrivalled' strength would need to increase? Unrivalled we are, unrivalled we shall continue to be."

"Yes, but while the Nine Demon Gates are powerful, our grunts are... I'd say, lacking," she explained, making her Master grunt in slight agreement. "Lamy has done her best to augment our soldiers, but we've had no such luck. I'd suggest a different... experiment."

Mard Geer was silent, contemplating Kyouka's idea. Truthfully, it had merit. The soldiers were lower demons that were quite honestly, pathetic. Only few were amongst the best, and even then, they still didn't amount to anything. "What would you suggest, then?" he finally asked after several moments.

"We use humans," Kyouka simply stated, already seeing the look of disgust on Mard Geer's face. "Yes, they are weak. Disgusting. Pitiful. But they have potential. The magic they can wield allows them to learn new things. They could learn a thousand different types of magic, while Etherious only have their Curses tailored to one set of power."

Mard Geer hummed, intrigued by this. "Mard Geer... sees your point. While pitiful, humans have massive amounts of potential... but how do we control them? Despite their abilities, they can never match the power of the Etherious."

Kyouka had a demonic grin on her face. "Leave that to me."

**XXX**

"What is that you need of us, Kyouka-sama?" Sayla, one of the Nine Demon Gates, asked.

Sayla was woman, with large breasts and two large gold-looking horns protruding from the sides of her head and pointing upwards. Upon her head is a white band which separates her hair, framing her bangs from her hair below the band. Worn upon her forehead was a small circular symbol with a small dot on the inside and surrounded by several dots around the top. Tied around her neck is a small white-coloured strap. She wore a very revealing blue-coloured leopard-printed kimono, bearing the decorative marks on her shoulders. The kimono is wrapped around her torso with a thick, decorative yellow ribbon that ties behind her back, and her outfit is complemented by thigh-high socks that reveal her heels and toes.

"Yeah, why did you need us to come here?! I was busy blowing some shit up!" exclaimed Jackal, an annoyed expression on his face as he glared at Kyouka.

Jackal was a young muscular Etherious who, living up to his name, possesses a number of animal features: his dark blonde hair, reaching down to his shoulders and covering the left side of his face, perpetually hiding his left eye from sight, a canine-looking snout, and long, sharp teeth, particularly the canines. He wore peach-coloured baggy pants, a black-and-yellow coloured bandana, a beige vest and had leopard prints originating from his wrists, which highlighted his black-coloured hands.

Sayla gave Jackal a glare. "Do not disrespect Kyouka-sama."

"I'll do what I want, bitch!" Jackal retorted.

"Enough," Tempester retorted, glancing at his two guild-mates. Tempester had an imposing height. He kept partial parts of his facial region hidden underneath a hood, solely revealing his dark snout along with thin lips, and a full, chin curtain beard circling his jawline. Further, his loose hair elongates below his neck, covering parts of his cheekbones. When the upper area of his face becomes visible however, a set of oval eyes can be seen, with several strands of thick hair falling below his forehead. His cloak and pants were the only signs of clothing that he wore.

"Thank you, Tempester," Kyouka nodded, looking at the Etherious. "Now, we have a mission, handed out to us by Mard Geer-sama. Failure is not an option."

"What is it that you want us to do?" Tempester asked, looking at Kyouka. Kyouka smiled thinly.

"I want you to go raid a human village," she ordered simply. "There aren't anyone remarkable amongst them, truly. The only person who has shown promise is a young boy, about six years of age. We are to abduct him and bring him back to Tartaros."

"That still doesn't explain why we're trying to kidnap some brat," Jackal commented. His eyes lit up. "How about I kill them all?!"

"Unless you want to get punished by Mard Geer-sama," Sayla pointed out, making Jackal grumble.

"Regardless," Kyouka interrupted. "You will capture the boy. He's the only one with magic, so he'll be easy to find. Do _not _fail."

**XXX**

Shura was playing with a doll in his hands, content with the silence his home gave him. He was all alone, his father working as a soldier for the mayor of the village. He was always working, not wanting to spend time with his son. Although, the main reason was because Shura killed his mother.

Shura was a thin, weak child. He had dark skin, looking like a deep tan. His black hair fell to his shoulders. He wore simple clothes; a T-shirt and some shorts and sandals. The warm brown eyes showed false childhood joy as he made his doll dance and move to a silent tune. He wished that the joy could actually be real. Ever since he had been born, he had found it hard for him to be real.

He was born six years ago as a small, weak malnourished baby. The local doctors had told him that, surprisingly, his body was saturated with magic, despite his weak appearance. So much so that the actual pregnancy had caused his mother too much strength. His magic power had damaged her womb too much as he was exiting it, causing blood to pour internally, killing her as she gave birth to him. When Shura was fully born, he had been covered in his mother's blood, literally coming from her corpse. Thus, he was given the name 'Shura', meaning 'Carnage'. Fitting, since he killed his mother through his own power, covered in her blood.

Since then, Shura could feel his father's silent resentment towards him. He tried to be subtle about it, but Shura could see it in his eyes. His hatred, his severe loathing. In a way, Shura couldn't blame him; he hated himself because of what he did. Since then, he never once practised his magic. Doing so could kill. His mother was dead because of him. So he would kill no more.

Despite his meek nature, Shura was very sharp. He could tell that the children his age didn't want to interact with him, either due to his pathetic body, or the rumours of the other parents not wanting to speak with him. His loneliness was a constant thing in his life. He almost smiled. It had been with him than his father has.

He was about to put his doll away, when there was a a massive sound.

BOOM!

Shura was blown away by the massive shockwave produced, his body hitting the wall and going through it. The heat came after, the scorching, burning heat that blistered his body and made him cry out in pain. The pain was too much! It hurt! Hurt, hurt, hurt, hurt-

Shura's eyes blinked slowly, his eyes hazy. He could see that - when he turned to look to his left - he saw his arm, bent at an odd angle. The fractured bone oddly enough didn't make him feel anythi- oh. Oh. Oooh.

He yelled in pain, tears prickling his eyes at the awful pain that he felt. He tried to call out for help, for _anyone _to help, but the scorched air made it hard to inhale. Numerous explosions continued to occur, the shockwave pushing debris all over him. Ironically enough, this consequence of destruction actually saved him from the shockwaves and heat. His ears were left ringing from all the sound.

_Please, _he mentally whimpered, his eyes blinking rapidly to remove the soot from his eyes. _Let this stop. I-I don't know what's happening. S-Someone... help me. Please._

After what felt like hours - long, painful, dull hours - the explosions ended, everything suddenly silent. Nothing. The air was dead, the usual chirping of birds void. Somehow, the silence felt worse than the explosions. Dread slowly built in Shura's stomach, his mind wondering what was going on.

Footsteps actually managed to meet his ears, making him sigh in relief. That changed, though, as he heard someone yell out, "Ha! That was awesome! I haven't been able to let loose in a long time!"

"You blew up practically everything," a feminine voice called out, cool and collected. "For all we know, you could have killed the child Kyouka-sama sent us to retrieve."

"Please," the man from before said, casual. "I didn't catch a whiff of magic. You find anything, Tempester?"

"Nothing," a deep, scary voice answered.

"See?! Nothing! In fact, I can feel something coming from over there." The man's footsteps came closer, closer towards Shura's direction. Panicking, Shura frantically tried to escape, his body doing its best to remove the debris off of him. It was useless, even if his body was bigger, better, _stronger, _it wouldn't have mattered.

The rocks were blown away, Shura's body rattled with force, the vibrations making his body ring. Searing light met his vision, making him blink rapidly. Then a shadow blocked the light. "Oi, think I found the kid!"

Despite himself, Shura threw his other working arm over his eyes, both blocking the light and desperately defending himself. Another shadow joined the previous one, looking down on him. "It seems that we have found him. He is the only one who has magic."

_Magic? _Shura thought to himself. _A-Are these people mages? Why are they here?!_

"Very well," the scary voice spoke. Shura felt himself being picked up, his mind feeling helpless at being so easily carried. Even though he knew his body was weak, it still burned him that he felt like this. He felt something hard against his face. Probably the mage's back. Then he felt himself moving.

"Wha-" His voice was small, meek. "W-Where are you taking me?"

"Do not worry," the cool voice said. It sounded female. "You will be taken to Tartaros. For our goals, you will be needed."

_Tartaros? Wha-_ His mind turned blank as his eyes widened. The reason? The destruction all around him. Everywhere he looked from the supposed giant's back, he could see everything. _Everything._

The shattered huts and land, scorched, blackened, destroyed. All the people, dead. Some had serious burns. Ashes. Blood. Blood, guts and gore.

Shura could feel himself whining slightly, a queasy feeling settling in his stomach. He felt something coming up rapidly from his stomach, making its way out of his mouth with a groan.

"Damn, Tempester! The little shit threw up all over you!" the loud man spoke, laughing hysterically.

"It doesn't matter," the one called Tempester spoke calmly, not at all bothered by the sick all over his back. "It will not affect the mission."

"Sheesh, you really are a boring guy, aren't you? Someone throws up all over you, and you don't react. If it was me-"

Shura tuned out all of the noise, not at all bothered. Necks snapped all the way. Arms shattered, some bent the wrong way. Vaporised bodies... it-it was too much. He couldn't handle this. He couldn't. As Tempester kept on walking, Shura saw more destruction. What broke him was the building of the mayor. It was practically turned to rubble, the rocks soaked with some blood. Bodies were strung all over the place. Shura could see the lower half of the body of the mayor, crumpled and bent.

But what stood out to him was the body of his father. There was a massive hole in the middle of his body, blood, organs, intestines strung every. The corpse was covered in red, a splattered, disturbing, gory display of art.

Shura could feel his heart beat faster as he kept on looking. No. This-This couldn't happen. This... was all just a bad dream. It had to be. There was no way any of this could be real. No, no, no, no, nononononono_nonononononononono_-

Shura could hear someone screaming. He could hear the surprised sound coming from the others. He could feel the shockwaves that pushed Tempester away, making Shura land on the ground as he roared. He could see the blue outline that covered his vision. Then he realised; all of that was coming from him. _He _was the cause in all of this.

"Shit," the loud man cursed. He stepped forward, his palms alight. "I know we need the kid alive, but he's being too noisy. Best to rough him up-"

A backlash of energy hit him, sending him flying with a surprised yelp. The others dodged the tendrils of energy, surprise on their features.

A loud, anguished and powerful cry came from Shura, his eyes practically blank from the mental overload. "**ROOOOOAR**! **RAAAAARGH**!" The entire surroundings exploded, destroyed from pure, raw magic. A blue aura bathed his form, Shura's roars echoing across the fields.

The Etherious stood up, astounded by what they were seeing. "W-What the hell?!" Jackal exclaimed, shocked. "What the hell is that kid?!"

"I-I don't know," Sayla stuttered, her calm look broken by the display before them. Tempester looked on, his face not betraying anything.

Blue hues came from his eyes and mouth as he continued to roar. "**ROOOOOOOOOOOAR**!" he bellowed, dashing towards the demons like a mad bull. Surprised, they quickly, moved out of the way, allowing Shura to rush past like a freight train. Shura twisted around, pure magic energy rolling off of his form and coalescing into an orb, aiming itself towards the demons.

Jackal was the only slow one, as Kyouka and Tempester dodged. He yelled in pain as he was enveloped by the blast. Smoke formed, obscuring his figure. Tempester reacted instantly, however.

"Cyclone," he uttered, wind surrounding his body as he charged towards Shura. Just as he neared him, he suddenly stopped. "W-What?!" he said, shocked. Looking closely past the wind, he saw that a wall of magic was formed around Shura's form. "H-He's protecting himself instinctively?"

With a roar, the demon was thrown away. He flew past Jackal, who had managed to recover. "Okay, screw Kyouka's orders! I'm going to kill this brat!" Dashing forward, Jackal punched forward, an explosion going off from his fist. Not stopping in the slightest, he continued punching, a series of explosions occurring. Shockwave after shockwave sounded across the air, blowing the dead bodies and destroyed buildings away.

Just as Jackal was about to continue, he was forced away from Shura, who produced another explosion of raw magic that pushed him away slightly. Although - when the smoke cleared - it showed that he didn't come away unscathed. Shura's body was scorched slightly, series of burns littering his body. Yet, he didn't fall down.

The boy groaned, almost falling over from the pain that he was in. His mind was at least able to register the fact that he was in too much pain. He yelled again, though this time, it sounded like the cry of a wounded animal. "**RAAARH**!" Charging forward, he made to attack the Etherious, until-

"Stop." It was a simple, one-worded command. Yet, it brought Shura to a halt instantly. His mind and body froze, neither responding to his command. H-He couldn't move! Why-

His eyes were able to move, however. They darted towards each Etherious, trying to find out which one was causing this. It was the woman. It had to be. Her calm demeanour was back, her body sparking with power.

"You have done enough. Sleep," she muttered. The command took effect. Cado's blank eyes dimmed as he fell to the ground, unconscious. The last fleeting thing on his mind was, _I'm... sorry, father. Everyone. S-Someone... h-help..._

**XXX**

Shura couldn't recall most of what had transpired. The only thing he knew was pain. His limbs, weak as they were, were unable to move. He had trouble breathing, his mouth filling with some kind of liquid. This happened for a while, as his mind slipped in and out. The only thing he could feel was pain, weakness and hunger. Severe hunger.

"... was able to give Jackal trouble..."

"Mard Geer is impressed... he should survive the process of the Hell's Core..."

"... when the brat gets out of that thing, I'll kill him..."

"... I'm going to have so much fun with this one..."

This was all he could hear through the liquid. All of the words meant nothing to him. Time was nonexistent. He-he couldn't feel anything! Only pain! Someone make it stop! This... this needed to stop! Please! Please, please, stop! Stop! STOP! ... Stop.

And just when he thought that he was finally somewhat able to bear with it, it increased each time. It was as if they had come up with new, painful ways to torture. He just prayed that it would stop.

**XXX**

"Day 13," a voice called out, observing Shura's slowly growing form inside Hell's Core. "Subject seems to be rejecting the injection of Etherious essence. Need to come up with new methods."

The person who had spoken was Lamy, the 'scientist' of Tartaros. She was a young girl with a small frame, wearing her dark hair in a bob cut and had two rabbit-like ears protruding from her head. She donned a light fluffy coat with large pom-poms over a dark skirt and shirt. To complete her look, she wore a pair of tights that run into knee-high boots.

She placed her hands on her cheeks. "Oh, you are so interesting! You haven't died yet, which is a surprise! I thought Kyouka-sama was going bonkers over actually turning a human into an Etherious, but it looks like her idea had merit! I hope you don't die too soon ~"

**XXX**

"Day 264," Lamy noted, writing down some notes. By now, Shura had integrated almost thirty-four percent of the Etherious essence. The available specimen was something Mard Geer had recovered from one of Zeref's old hideouts. When it was recovered, it was unknown as to what the Etherious was, what its Curse did, or if it did anything. But it looked like it was worth it.

"How is it going, Lamy?" Kyouka commented, walking forward to inspect Shura's prone body.

"It's going super, Kyouka-sama! He's almost done absorption process! Pretty soon, we'll have our new and improved Etherious!"

"Hmm, impressive," she muttered, stepping forward to inspect Shura. Tapping the glass, Shura's eyes suddenly awoke, his mouth filling with the liquid inside. His eyes turned panicked as he frantically tried to move.

"Hello, human," Kyouka greeted, a sweet smile on her face. "How have you been?"

Shura couldn't answer, as his body was trying to move.

"Now, now. You know how I hate to be ignored. I had thought that you had learned from last time." Tapping the side of the glass, Kyouka activated her curse. "Lamy-"

"Got it!" Tapping some buttons, Lamy made needles pierce Shura's sides, making him shriek in agony. Even though his screams couldn't be heard, his face was enough evidence to show that he felt tremendous pain.

"Let's see how much you can last..." Kyouka muttered, a wide grin on her face.

**XXX**

"Yo, brat!" Jackal's voice called out as he walked in. "How're you doing today?!"

Shura's body visibly shuddered, fear wracking his body.

"Damn, that bitch Kyouka did a number to you, didn't she?"

At the name 'Kyouka', Shura's body kept on shuddering, although the machines inside the tube kept him still.

"Yeah, she can be a real bitch sometimes. She's reeeaaal crazy. Like, totally nuts. The problem is, she gets off on it! I mean, I'm sadistic, but even I don't get off on it, you know?"

Shura's body was prone, not moving. He was forced to listen to Jackal's rambling.

"I swear, she has total issues! And don't even get me started on that Sayla bitch! She is so uptight! She needs to get laid..."

_I'm going to kill him,_ Shura thought to himself. The thought gave him strength. Gave him solace. _I'll wring his neck... slice his throat open..._

**XXX**

"Day 295," Lamy noted, taking down some notes. "Subject seems to have bonded with fifty percent of the Etherious' essence. Slow, but we can work with what we have..."

Shura was conscious by this point. His body felt different. Stronger, durable, powerful. Like he could take on the world. The only problem was that his body felt _wrong_. Like, he was wearing clothing that was too big for him. It didn't feel like his body.

But where his body was powerful, his mind was broken. Shattered, for a better term. All the pain, the annoyances, the weakness, the hunger, the anger, the bitterness, the sadness, the ever-growing fear, the ever-present despair... it was too much. He... couldn't... hold on.

Shura didn't believe in religion. He was never taught it in the village. Sure, he was told about it. He had heard his father praying to different gods, asking for forgiveness, for his son's demise, for his mother back. He had overheard his father praying, something that he managed to hear every night he went to bed.

He didn't believe in any gods. He wasn't old enough to fully form thought based on them. Yet... he found himself desperate. So, he prayed. He prayed to whatever being that was out there. To save him. Save him from this... hell. That's what this was. He was in hell. Was this repentance for killing his mother? It had to be. Or maybe, it was all one big sick joke.

_Someone... _Shura pleaded, his body giving out. Despite his improved body, it had finally succumbed to starvation and pain. It couldn't handle anymore. He was at his limit. _If there's any god out there... save me. Please._

As he finished that thought, his mind went blank, his vision darkening. And so, Shura's body gave out as he died. His prayer not even answered even at his dying breath.

**XXX**

Pitch black darkness. Shura could not claim to be fond of it. Particularly this variety – all-consuming. Shura didn't know how to react to his death properly. He didn't even know _what _to expect when he died. A bright light? A newer version of hell?

**Hello there.**

A voice. Ominous. It wasn't Shura's. It didn't belong to any one he knew, or anyone he had ever heard before.

**So young, yet burdened with such hate. Such fury. How... intriguing.**

The voice became clearer. It was female. Feminine, soft, comforting – somewhat. It was disconcerting. Was-was she real? Or some other spirit that was with him as he died?

**I assure you, I am very real.**

Shura's eyes - he wasn't even sure he had eyes at this point - widened, making the unknown figure laugh. "Are you the one who's going to take me to the afterlife?"

**Hmm. No, I am not Ankhseram. I am much... chaotic. **There was silence for a moment. **I can see that - despite your age - you have a burning desire for revenge.**

"H-How-" Shura stopped himself, already knowing that this person was some unknown, powerful force. That seemed to know a lot about him. "Yes."

**I can give it to you. Your vengeance.**

Shura's eyes widened. "Y-You can?!"

**Oh, yes. Vengeance, power, glory. _Your life._ I can give it to you. But you have to do one thing for me.**

"W-What's that?" Shura asked curiously.

**Become my champion. My heir.**

The darkness twisted. It appeared as though one had turned a piece of cloth in space, curving and morphing it. The entrance slightly startled Shura, but not so much as the appearance of the female. Pale skin. Long dark hair. White robes. Barefoot. A curious, dark gleam in her red eyes.

**My name is Nifrit. I am the goddess of chaos.**

"G-Goddess?!" The word was the only thing that caught his attention. "You're a god?"

**Yes. **A smile appeared on Nifrit's face. **I am.**

"T-Then it's true! Gods a-are r-real! Y-You answered my p-prayers!" Tears of joy fell from his eyes. "Th-Thank you! Th-Thank you so much!"

**Now, now. There's no need to cry. **A pale finger reached out, wiping away his tears. **But you haven't answered my question, my dear. Will you become my heir?**

"H-Heir?" The word sounded odd on Shura's tongue.

**Heir. Champion. Son. **The last word caught Shura's attention. **Ah, I see you like it. The idea of having me as your mother.**

"Y-Yes!" The idea of having a mother was alien to him. His own died at birth, killed by his own hand. His father was distant to him. Cold. Cruel, even. So the idea of a parent figure was odd. Unknown. Yet... the idea-the _emotion_. It was something that he wanted. Craved, even. "Yes! I want that! I want a mother!"

Nifrit's smile turned warm. He took Shura in her arms, hugging him tightly. Shura quickly broke down, crying tears of joy and relief. After all the loneliness, the pain, the neglect, it was so good to have a new mother. He wrapped his tiny arms around her tightly.

Nifrit's 'warm' smile turned dark and malicious. Masking the glee at finally having a champion. At being able to spread her name and cause chaos. Her 'motherly' smile came when Shura looked at her, her finger moving to wipe his tears away.

**So, you accept?**

"Yes!" Shura yelled loudly, jumping up and down in joy. "Yes, yes, yes!"

**Good**. A red-and-black aura surrounded Shura, who looked shocked. **As my champion, your task is to make my name great among Earthland. As well as cause enough misery as possible. Do this, and you shall make me proud.** **From here on out, you shall be the Champion of Nifrit. Although, I think your other title will be well-known among the world.**

"W-What's that?" Shura asked curiously, his tears having stopped.

**The Chaos God Slayer.**

**XXX**

"Aw, he's broken," Lamy commented, a frown on her face as she stared at Shura's still form. She sighed. "Oh well. Guess it was a failure-"

As she said that, a humongous shockwave was produced from Shura, destroying the Hell's Core that he was in, along with crushing Lamy. She didn't even get the chance to scream, before her body was flung backwards at high speeds and was promptly turned into a bloody paste by the force of the explosion.

The shockwave shook Tartaros, making every demon alert. They quickly homed in on where Shura was held. Kyouka was in first, concern on her face. "Lamy, what's-"

She paused, eyes wide. The other members of the Nine Demon Gates, and Mard Geer himself appeared behind her. "Kyouka-sama, what's that mat-" Sayla stopped, seeing what was wrong.

The room was trashed. The glass that contained Shura was destroyed, along with a good majority of the room. There was a bloody imprint on the wall, along with a crushed, broken body. They saw that it was Lamy, though her body was hardly recognisable at this point. But there was one important part to all of this.

Shura was missing.

**XXX**

**Wake up, Shura, **Nifrit spoke gently to the sleeping Shura, who groaned. His wounds were all healed, and his body retained its strength and durability from Tartaros' experiments.

The boy woke up, his wrapped around Nifrit's own tightly. Looking around at where they were, he saw an endless void, where in every direction, there was a mix of iridescent colours. "Wh-Where are we?" he asked curiously.

**We are in the Void between Space and Time, **she answered, caressing Shura's hair gently. **It has been my... home, for quite some time. And this is where I will train you. To become my champion.**

"Really?!" Shura exclaimed, his head swivelling around, excitement in his eyes. "This place looks so cool! I won't let you down!"

**Oh, dear Shura... **Nifrit's eyes turned slightly evil. **I know you won't disappoint me.**

**Sup.**

**Now, I know that putting a new story out right now is a bit of a problem of mine (hope it doesn't turn into a huge problem) but I've wanted to do this for a long time. A Fairy Tail fanfic!**

**Now, as I've said before, this a problem for me. I literally did this in my spare time. Bouts of depression, boredom and curiosity does that to a person. Plus, this idea was literally itching at me to write. Like, tempting me. Hell, I could see its swaying hips, fat ass and... Anyway, you know what I mean. But I'll do my best to not do this too much. I've seen it happen to a number of authors, with great stories that I'm annoyed haven't been completed, because there's so _fucking _many. Looking at NeonZangetsu (love his stories, by the way.) There are so many awesome stories of his, but there are too many that I don't know which ones are finished. Like, properly finished.**

**To be honest, I love Fairy Tail, but it has many problems. Namely, the 'power of friendship'. To be fair, other anime do the nakama bullshit power-up, but FT just abuses that. Like, seriously. In almost every major fight, any and all Fairy Tail members use nakama bullshit to defeat enemies who are massively stronger than them. The only ones who actually pull it off well (in my opinion) are Erza and Laxus. The latter I'm biased for, since I do like him. **

**No, but seriously. It's a huge problem. Hell, One Piece does it a similar way, but it just... kind of works? I dunno. That's mainly the reason why the start of the story is so bloody (some would say edgy). I'm not going to use nakama bullshit, but actual power. Hell, most of the time, nakama bullshit won't even matter when I'm writing the story for the most part.**

**Now, Shura's magic. God Slayer magic is something that I wanted to explore and write about. Dragon Slayer magic (while awesome) has been overdone a lot. Plus, God Slayer magic is supposedly more powerful than Dragon Slayer magic, but Zancrow lost to Natsu, Chelia tied with Wendy, and Orga got bitch-slapped by Jura (last one doesn't really count, but you get what I mean).**

**His Curse will be explained (or seen) next chapter.**

**Harem-wise: ****Lucy, Erza, Mirajane, Cana, Juvia, Jenny, Sayla, Irene, Dimaria, Brandish, Kagura, Ultear, Ur, Layla, and Anna. That's it. One or two more members can be suggested, and I may consider them, but this is it. No changes.**

**Now, off to the next chapter. Peace!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

Life was interesting for Shura. Since coming to the Void between Space and Time, he had undergone training for Chaos God Slayer magic. During this time, he was taught basic skills, like learning the alphabet, mathematics, numbers, etc.

With the basics out of the way, Nifrit had taught him how to utilise magic. Of course, her method of teaching was... difficult. She showed him how she used her magic, told him how to summon it, and then expected Shura to replicate the entire thing. It was hard trying to do, and Shura was sometimes punished for failure.

That was another thing that Shura quickly discovered. Nifrit's 'caring mother' act dropped, revealing her true nature of being cold, uncaring, sadistic and downright evil at times. Like right now.

**I told you to try again**, Nifrit ordered, red eyes narrowed.

"B-But I can't!" Shura explained, panting with exhaustion. His magic had been exhausted, and considering its size and potency, that was saying something. "I-I don't know how!"

**You saw me use it. I told you to draw your magic and do it. So. Do. It.**

"But I don't know how!" Shura complained, stomping his foot angrily. "I kept telling you that I don't know how to draw on my magic! And you're not helping!"

**Not helping? Not helping?!** Nifrit's form glowed purple with anger. **I have multiplied your reflexes three times the amount you mortals have. I have increased your ability to take damage, as well as a healing factor. I believe that's more than enough help?**

"But you're just telling me to do something, and expecting me to do it," Shura insisted, glaring. At some points, he wouldn't even talk back to Nifrit, only take her scoldings and beatings and continue to do so.

**You _are _expected to do this,** Nifrit said, growling. **You are my champion. You. Are. Mine. I can order you to jump as high as I want you to. Run as fast as I tell you to. Kill whomever I tell you to.**

"Then what's the difference between you and my former captors?" Shura asked, anger palpable off his form.

**The difference is - I am the being who gave you a second chance at life. The only reason you still breathe.**

"Then I'd rather not be breathing!" Shura retorted angrily, furious. It was still the same. The means were different, but he was still weak. Still a-a slave to someone's bidding.

The silence of the Void was evident, neither person speaking for the moment.

**What are you trying to say?**

"I'm saying that you are cruel, heartless, just like those who destroyed my village and kidnapped me," Shura said, eyes narrowed. "I died while being a slave. I'll do so again."

**How DARE you-**

"You're not a god," Shura interrupted, glaring at her. "You're just as much as a demon as those monsters are!"

Pain. Rocking, indescribable pain. He clenched his teeth together to stop himself from screaming out. Shura felt like his entire body was immersed in boiling water, boiling water which increased in temperature every second. He had no choice but to let out a strangled scream, something that carried itself across the Void.

The pain stopped almost as suddenly as it began. Shura was wheezing – gasping, and panting, trying his best to draw breathe, trying to blink out the tears at the corner of his eyes.

Nifrit grabbed his face roughly, making him look up at her. **Listen here, **_**champion.**_ She spat the last word out. **I will forgive you only once, as you are tired, and unable to draw out your magic. ****I will ignore this slight on the grounds of you being slightly annoyed with the circumstances, and having a long day. However, there will be no more questioning me – no more fits of defiance. I am your god. If I tell you to jump, you leap, and you order gravity to stop and remain in the air until I tell you to get down. Have I made myself clear?**

"I-I hate you," Shura grit out. The pain returned, making him scream even more.

Nifrit had a look of glee in her eyes at his pain. **And before you get any silly ideas of killing yourself, I **_**own **_**your soul. ****It doesn't matter how many times you try; I will force your soul back into your body again, and again, and _again_. Understand?**

Shura's cries were her answer.

**XXX**

Since then, Shura never questioned Nifrit again. Seeing that her methods weren't working, the goddess decided to step up her training. She actually had to show and instruct Shura _properly. _Although that didn't mean that she wasn't sadistic, as she kept on inflicting pain upon him and healing him each time.

Time meant nothing in the Void. Ten years could have passed, in the same time it could've been ten months. Shura wasn't sure, so he didn't bother with time.

Each 'day', Nifrit instructed Shura on using his magic and Curse. The latter was something that Nifrit investigated. After taking a closer look at the creations of 'Ankhersam's cursed whelp' (her words, not his), she discovered that they didn't use magic, but rather Curses, fuelled by their demonic energy. After training (read: torture) Shura, Nifrit discovered that he could manipulate darkness.

This was something that made Nifrit almost squeal in glee. The Void was practically littered with darkness, so Shura never ran out.

**Now darkness is different from shadows,** Nifrit explained to a bandaged and healing Shura. **It encompasses practically everything. You can draw power from it, control it, connect to it. This applies both in the Void and possibly in Earthland. It exists everywhere. Now, controlling the darkness is different from using your magic. Since you're half-Etherious, you can use both magic and your Curse in conjunction. The latter, however, requires a bit more... effort.**

It turned out that learning how to use his Curse came easier than using magic. Mostly because he found that he felt more ease when using it. Even though the power came from a past that he hated, he couldn't deny that using the darkness was exhilarating. Like it was an extension of his will.

Shura admitted that - while he hated Nifrit and her training - he couldn't deny that the magic that he was taught was incredible. For example...

"Chaos God's Maelstorm!" Shura roared, red-and-black energy gathering and coalescing into currents of swirling energy that destroyed several large constructs of shadows. The currents turned into a mass of whirlwinds as it obliterated most of the constructs.

"Chaos God's Turret Gatling!" he continued, a magical circle appearing in front of him and shooting high-speed bullets of magic that destroyed most of its targets.

"Chaos God's Severe Tremor!" Slamming his fist against the 'floor' that was the Void, it shook slightly, an explosion of chaos energy being released.

"Chaos God's Blades of Fury!" A magic circle appearing behind him, firing off a barrage of crimson energy blades that detonated upon impact.

"Chaos God's Violent Fierce God Slicer!" Extended his right arm, a crimson-obsidian blade of energy formed on his arm **(A.N. - Think of Goku Black's blade, but red/black). **With a swing, dozens of dark constructs were split half, right down to the middle.

"Chaos God's Bellow!" A massive blast of chaos energy was fired from his mouth, destroying everything in his path.

Shura panted, falling to his knees in exhaustion. **Very impressive, **Nifrit commented, walking forward. Shura looked up weakly.

"T-Thank you, L-Lady Nifrit," he thanked, the addition of 'Lady' something Nifrit 'suggested'.

**Good, you're learning. Now, let us continue.**

**XXX**

The training was long and torturous. Shura couldn't count the number of times that his body was broken, scarred, beaten, whipped and destroyed, before being healed by Nifrit. Yet, he had completed his God Slayer training. Through the trials he had faced, he had perfected his Curse, and taken his God Slayer magic to new levels. After learning and creating different God Slayer Secret Arts, learning God Force**(1), **and gaining something he dubbed his 'Etherious form', his training was complete.

Through all of this, Shura had changed. Instead of the meek, shy and kind child he'd been, he was cold and emotionless. In fact, the only time he had ever shown any emotion was when he was fighting. He was truly, completely and utterly broken. Something Nifrit had intended.

Well, not completely. He had a spark of defiance. Whenever he challenged Nifrit on certain ideas, he was punished. Yet, he endured. He never forgot what had happened. The kidnapping, the torture from the Etherious, everything. Vengeance was pretty much the only goal he had. Yet, he knew that Nifrit wouldn't let him have it. She'd stall, putting him upon the path, yet never truly letting him complete it. For if he had his vengeance, what purpose would he have in life? He'd be useless as a God Slayer.

The two now stood in the Void, Shura the only one to show any change since they'd entered. He was now physically thirteen years old, with his brown hair falling down to the middle of his back. His ebony skin was rich in colour, a contrast to the Void. There was barely any ounce of fat on his body, having been pushed to its limits. He wore a long-sleeved black T-shirt, along with baggy pants. On his foot were normal sandals.

**I have now deemed your training complete, **Nifrit spoke, looking down with pride at her God Slayer. **You are to go upon the world and spread my name wide and far. Let everyone know and fear me. Let them build alters to my name!**

Shura mentally snorted, knowing how egotistical the goddess was.

**And remember, create chaos and misery where ever you go. Let them dread the very name Nifrit! And-**

"Yes, yes, I know. 'They shall cower in fear, run away from the sign of your coming'," Shura mocked, ignoring the pain Nifrit inflicted on him. "I've heard the whole spiel."

**You pathetic mortal! After everything I've done for you, you dare speak to me like that?!**

"Yes," Shura simply spoke. Nifrit glared at him, before smirking.

**Good. You're little sparks of defiance are appreciated. It shows that you have spine, and aren't a weak-willed servant. Now go. I have broken numerous amounts of laws bringing you back from the dead, and then be brought to the Void. I must recharge my power. **

"Of course," Shura simply said. A portal opened in front of him, leading towards Earthland.

**Go forth, my champion. And make sure that all fear my name!**

Shura stepped forward, into the deep unknown.

**XXX**

Shura was standing in front of a field, nothing within many miles. Using the darkness surrounding the area, he found that there was no life found around here.

Before he started walking, he blinked. Air. He inhaled and exhaled. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. He continued his actions for a couple of minutes, getting used to the sensation of oxygen in his lungs. Bending down, he touched the grass that he stood on, feeling cool to the touch. The wind tousled the grass, feeling cold against his skin.

He looked up, seeing the sun for the first time in a long while. Its rays of light made Shura squint his eyes, trying to adjust to the light. Tears were falling from his eyes at the sensation. He could finally feel something other than pain. He could actually taste the air on his tongue, breathe it in into his lungs. The sensations were almost alien to him. Much more appreciated than the Void.

"I-I will keep this," he muttered quietly to himself. "This... this _feeling. _I want to keep this. I-I... I..." Rivers of tears fell from his eyes, as - finally - he could feel again. "I want to be free," he muttered quietly, breaking down. He fell to his knees, weeping and wailing as he cried for his brief moment of freedom.

**XXX**

_(Unknown Desert - Two days later)_

Shura walked through the desert, not bothered by the heat, nor the blowing sandstorm. He wore a cloak that he had stolen from an old man. The old man tried to fight back, but he had killed him.

A pang rang through his chest, making him realise something: Nifrit's teachings had already stuck with him, and he had already left. He had stolen the cloak because he had needed it, because he felt that he deserved it more than the old man.

_Her claws have already sunk deep into me,_ he pondered. _I'm not free. Not yet. Not until I'm rid of that _witch.

Shura shook his head, clearing his mind. He continued walking. Hearing some shuffling, he stopped, turning to the side. He saw some odd-looking fish that were making their way towards him. These three creatures were the size of adult Bengal tigers. Instead of fins, they sported muscular limbs with paws, but the tail and dorsal fins remained. The paws had three sharp, golden claws that allowed for them to dig swiftly beneath and through the the sands as they looked for their prey.

Shura's stomach grumbled loudly, making him put a hand on it. It had been _so _long since he had found something to eat. So, very, very, _very_ long...

Eyes sharpening, Shura charged towards the three 'tiger-fish'. "Shadow Dance!" he yelled, sending out a tendril of shadows that sliced through one tiger-fish. The others, however, were faster, and dodged the attack.

That didn't stop Shura, however. Holding out his hand, he yelled, "Shadow Bind!" Clumps of shadows formed from thin air, speeding towards the tiger-fish and ensnaring them, making them squirm.

Capturing his food, he flicked his wrist. "Shadow Crush."

Small shadows formed into small tendrils, wrapping themselves around the tiger-fish's necks and snapping them instantly, killing them. Bringing his food towards him, Shura opened his mouth and bit down into the tiger-fish, drawing blood. He didn't care. His mouth gnashed and tore into the fish, crying at the feeling of delectable flesh in his mouth. He wept as he ate, ignoring the blowing sandstorm and chewing his food, crunching each piece with savage bites.

Finally, he finished his food, blood coating his fingers. Shura didn't care, as finally had food in his gullet. Smacking his lips, he wiped away the blood. "Water," he mumbled to himself. He started running, ignoring the heat in search of the liquid.

After ten minutes, Shura fell onto the ground, his body burning. "Water... Need... Water," he panted harshly, the air scorching him slightly. His body was much more durable than any human's, so he could survive much longer in the desert. That said, if he didn't find any water, he'd likely pass out.

He sat up, narrowing his eyes to see any sign of water. His powerful eyesight skimmed the horizon. After a few minutes, he saw a green blob. Eyes widening, Shura disappeared in a burst of shadow, heading towards the green blob. This also had the added advantage of shielding him from the heat. He had finally reached the green blob, which was surrounding a former river, now a small pool of water.

Shura didn't care. He dived down, hitting the pool. He gulped and drank every drop, feeling rejuvenated.

"So... good!" he continued slurping every drop of water, relief flooding his features.

**XXX**

Shura sat down, near the banks of a large ocean. The night sky reflected itself upon the ocean. He continued gulping down the water, not caring if there were any dangerous chemicals or elements inside. His immortality would protect him anyways.

Bringing his head back up, he panted harshly, a relieved expression on his face. "That... was good," he noted. After a while, he sat on the banks, satisfied. Wiping his face, Shura could finally focus.

He needed to kill Nifrit. Then, and only then, could he gain his vengeance on the Etherious. The only problem: Nifrit was too powerful. Not to mention, she had taught him his God Slayer magic, the very thing he needed to kill her. So, he needed to expand his arsenal. Learn more magic, develop new skills, _anything. _He refused to remain a slave forever. If he could kill the goddess, he could finally have peace.

Suddenly, his magic picked up high concentrations of negative emotions and misery. He narrowed his eyes, trying to sense where the source was coming from. Turning around, his sharp eyesight managed to pick something up in the distance.

It was a large, tall... _thing. _It had a twisted body and sporadically jutting sides, appearing very chaotic and asymmetrical. The bottom and main body of the tower were comprised of overlapping and intertwining lengths of metal tubes which wound together from the ground and straight up into the sky. These giant pipes were held together through a series of smaller tubes which linked the main sections as well as many differently sized and shaped golden decorations which looped over and around the frame of the tower, adding to its unruly presentation. Around the main form of the building, a twisted staircase wound rose upon the tower.

Shura's eyes widened. He hadn't seen a lot of buildings, but even _he _knew that this building was unnatural. More over, Shura senses could feel that the negative emotions were spiking, the chaos being felt was enormous.

His nose picked up several scents, and his mouth watered. Shura could smell - even from this distance - the vague aroma of roasted chicken. It was delicious. Mind-numbingly so. No – not just roasted chicken. Other meals – other, home-cooked meals – pot-roast, pasta, noodles, and on and on it went. Shura's mouth was getting wet. The amount of misery was-was so great. So palpable. So... _juicy_.

Like a zombie, Shura shuffled towards the tower, his body waist-deep in the water. On instinct, he built himself a board of darkness to float on. He hopped upon it, swimming away. He sped up, gaining speed. He had to consume everything. _Everything._

In practically no time, he had arrived at the shore of the island, close to the tower. He didn't take any caution, nor had any care for strategy. Sensing the negative emotions come closer, he faintly saw that it was what looked to be a guard. He wore an intricate mask with a design on it, robes, and had what looked to be a weapon in his hands. The guard turned towards him.

"The hell? Where the hell did you come from, brat?!" the guard asked, reaching for his weapon. Hearing no response from Shura, he grew annoyed. "Answer me, you little shit!"

Shura didn't say anything. He opened his mouth, drawing in on the energy and misery. His eyes rolled into the back of his head at the _sensation. _It tasted like-like juicy tender steak. Large. Thick. Juicy. His body glowed red.

"Doesn't matter anyways," the guard muttered. Stepping forward, he raised his weapon to stun the kid and put him down. Just as he was about to attack, a crimson-obsidian blade of magic pierced his chest, making him gasp. He coughed up blood, the liquid not leaving his mask. Essentially, he choked on his own blood. Shura kept drawing on the emotion, essentially draining the man. Done with his feast, he beheaded the man quickly.

Looking at his Violent Fierce God Slicer, he grinned. "This place... is feast. No... a buffet." Licking his lips, he walked forward, sword slicing through the ground. More guards kept on coming, having heard the commotion that had occurred. "What the hell is a kid doing here?! I thought all of them were strapped in their cells!"

"Doesn't matter! Just knock him out and get him working!" one shouted, raising their stunners. Shura didn't hesitate, opening his mouth and devouring each and every one of their anger. Spicy, like hot curry. The taste made him crave more. Several slices had more of them get skewered. Some were sliced apart. Shura drew on all the chaos.

Everything tasted so much better! After having been starved for a long time, the taste of food was heaven for him. Like some a aphrodisiac. He wanted more. It felt good. Better than all the pain he had suffered. He didn't want the pleasure to stop. It shouldn't stop!

He kept on advancing, using his magic this time. "Chaos God's Blades of Fury!" Shura yelled, dozens of blades exploding each of the guards, covering the walls and floors with blood. _This feeling... this pleasure... It was amazing-_

He felt someone slice him upon the back, making him pause. He didn't fall. He didn't cry out in pain. He slowly turned towards the now scared guard, who didn't expect the boy to still be standing. "Wh... What the fuck are you?!" he yelled.

Shura grinned, the action making him look demented. Especially with all of the blood all over him. A quick beheading later had him on his next journey.

Slice, a Bellow, several Turret Gatlings, a Maelstorm, repeat. The combo kept on working for all of his foes. And whenever he was low on fuel, he just gobbled up all the misery, death and pain present. A never-ending feast, and blood to spill. This... this was heaven to him!

Shura made it to the main hall of the tower, seeing people locked up in cells, guards at the ready. He stopped. Not in fear of the guards. No, it was sensory overload. His tongue was experiencing different flavours, different foods at the same time. Peppers, curries, onions, grapes, meat... Shura moaned, the pleasure too much. And with pleasure, came strength.

"Shoot him down!" one guard spoke. They quickly equipped themselves with what looked to be magic guns. Yelling, each of them fired. Shura grinned. Walls of darkness curled before him, shielding him from the attacks. Then, the shadows slithered, taking the form of what looked to be snakes. The snakes opened their mouths, fangs made of shadows revealed.

"Aaaargh!" one yelled out, the snake biting deep into his neck. Other parts of his body were bitten by that shadow snakes. The guards kept trying to shoot them down, but more of them kept on coming, devouring them.

Seeing more incoming guards, Shura held out his hand. "Chaos God's Evil Grenade!" A large amount of chaos energy was built in his palm. He held his attack in both hands, lobbing it at a group of approaching guards. The attack detonated, killing dozens of them instantly.

Shura laughed manically, eyes a gleaming red. He laughed, chuckled, giggled and chortled. He walked forward, inspecting the damage he had caused. This felt amazing! Finally, he was the one in control! The one who had the power over others! He could easily kill them, torture them, maim them, and grin like a loon! It was so incredible! So-

"Y-You killed them!" a voice exclaimed, snapping himself out of his daze. His hypnotic orbs turned to look at who had spoken. A young girl, around his age. Scarlet red hair. Just like _her _eyes. Like his own likely looked like. Yet... so much _better._ He took in the rest of her features. She had a brown eye, her other one covered by an eye-patch. On body were rags and had bruises.

"I did," Shura said, looking at the girl.

"Erza, get back!" a blue-haired boy warned, dragging the boy back. "He's dangerous!"

"He - he killed the slavers! All of them! H-He used magic!"

Erza stepped forward, looking at Shura. "That was magic you used, wasn't it?"

"Yes," Shura answered, curious as to why she didn't fear him like the others. Did magic fascinate her that much that she'd disregard her safety?

"Y-you – with your magic," Erza began, slowly. _Now _Shura could smell her fear, no. Not fear. Uncertainty. "You could escape! You could help us escape! Take care of all the slavers!"

Shura frowned. Slaves? That struck something in him. They... they were like him. Now Shura could see it. The slavers kidnapped them, demeaned them and treated them with cruelty.

No. No, they weren't like him. All of the slavers, they were mortals. Humans. His slaver was a goddess. One who's sadism and creativity never ceased. Was endless. He had suffered more pain than they had ever had. Why should he care for those who couldn't even fathom the amount of pain and anger he had felt?

But... their fear. Their anguish. Shura could taste it, delicious. Sweet. Succulent. Yet... wasn't that the very thing that he hated? Something that he wanted to move away from? He wasn't Nifrit. He didn't have to revel in the misery he caused. He could fight against it. Against her.

Seeing his conflicted expression, Erza pleaded. "Please," she whimpered, desperation in her eye. Her eye. So similar to his own. The fear. The weakness. Yet, something that was different in her eyes was the inner strength. The burning passion to be free.

Shura was silent for a moment. Then, his Violent Fierce God Slicer appeared in his hands. Erza's friends stepped forward, wanting to protect her. Yet, the old man halted them, looking on curiously.

Moving his hand, Shura sliced through the cage. Erza stared, stunned, as her cell door was sliced apart. "Get everyone out of here. Now." Turning around, Shura started walking ahead. "Wait."

Shura stopped, but didn't turn around. He could tell that it was the old man speaking. "Thank you," he said gently. Shura didn't say anything, only walked forward.

As he ran and sliced through the prison cells, he could feel the shift in emotions. From misery, came joy. From suffering, strength. From chaos, passion. The emotions dulled his tongue, making him feel as if he was eating something bitter. It felt... odd. What was he supposed to feel? Sympathy? Happiness? He... didn't know what to feel.

He finished his task, moving on to kill the rest of the guards. _"ATTENTION! ATTENTION! SLAVES ARE TRYING TO ESCAPE!"_ a voice called out across the tower. Shura hummed. Well, more lambs to slaughter. He needed to kill, his taste buds were weakening.

**XXX**

The ships were ready, prepped for everyone to leave. Shura saw that practically everyone was present. The old man from before - Rob was his name - placed his hands on Shura's shoulders. He flinched, something that Rob took note of. "I can't thank you enough," he said. "You-you freed us! Gave all of us hope! We - I-"

"It's fine," Shura waved away, pushing Rob's hands off of him. He looked around, trying to locate someone.

"I-If you like, you can come with us to Fairy Tail-" Rob spoke, only for Shura to speak. "Where's Erza?" he asked. Rob's eyes widened, whirling around to find the girl that was with them.

"Erza!" Rob yelled. "Erza, where are you?!" Hearing no response, he turned to Shura. "W-We have to fi-" He stopped, seeing that Shura was gone.

**XXX**

Shura moved throughout the tower, trying to locate where Erza was. He couldn't sense magic, only despair and misery. And it was unlikely that she was feeling any of that, considering that they were being free- oh. Oh.

Looks like he was wrong.

Veering to the left, he moved quickly. Jumping over a large rock, he saw the blue-haired boy and Erza talking with each other, with Erza trying to convince him to leave with them. The blue-haired boy (Shura noted that he had a tattoo on the right side of his face, under his eye) sneered at her, eyes glowing red. Suddenly, Erza was blasted away by an unseen, unknown force. She landed in a heap, looking at her friend with fear in her eye. Shura just stared at the scene, soaking in all the negative emotions the blue-haired boy was emitting. It was _amazing. _

"Fine. If you want to leave so badly, I'm not going to try and stop you," the boy spoke, sneering. His negative emotions spiked, making Shura gorge himself on the intake. "But you'll have to go alone."

"J-Jellal, please," Erza pleaded, tears falling down her eye. "W-Why are you doing this?"

Jellla sneered again. Instead of answering her, he fired off a blast of dark energy at her, making her scream in shock. Shura frowned upon seeing this. While he was glad to gorge himself on this feast, he wasn't going to allow Erza to be hurt. He didn't know _why_, but the girl reminded him of himself before... everything happened to him. He... wanted to protect that. Make sure that stayed.

Just as Erza was about to be hit by the blast, Shura appeared before her, mouth open. He swallowed the blast, slurping each and every bit up. Both Erza and Jellal watched with wide eyes as Shura finished eating, wiping his mouth.

"W-Wha-" Jellal managed to get out, before he screamed as Shura suddenly appeared before him, his Violent Fierce God Slicer out. The scream was due to Shura slicing off Jellal's arm, the limb flying in the air with a shower of blood. Just as Shura was about to finish him off, Jellal stumbled back, tripping on the platform that he was standing on. He fell down, deep into the unknown darkness below.

"Jellal!" Erza screamed, running towards the abyss that he fell into. She was about to jump in after him when Shura grabbed her arm. She frantically tried to break his hold. "Let me go! I have to save him! I have to!" she yelled, struggling to break free. Not listening to her, Shura used his other hand to punch her in the gut, knocking her out. Wrapping his arm around the prone girl, Shura disappeared in a burst of shadow.

Both he and Erza appeared near the shore, where the other freed slaves stood. "Erza!" Rob shouted, running towards her. Shura placed the girl in his arms. Rob placed his hand on her face, before he checked her pulse. Sighing in relief, he looked towards Shura. "Than-" He stopped, seeing that Shura had disappeared.

He sighed. "That kid..." He looked down at Erza, who was still unconscious. "Where ever you are, kid; I hope we can meet each other again."

**XXX**

Shura appeared near some cliff, feeling drained from the whole experience. Oh, he had finally been able to eat, and _it was glorious! _All the different flavours, the tastes, it was so mind-numbing that Shura almost felt like crying at that moment. On the other hand, he... he actually did a 'good' thing. He freed slaves. Those who had felt the same kind of things that he had experience. Yet... he felt hollow. Like he didn't accomplish anything. There was no good taste to experience, only bitterness. Did that mean he craved chaos and misery? Should he start killing people to gain pleasure? Joy? A sense of happiness after a full course meal?

"I'm... losing my humanity. My... morality." Shura looked at his hands in slight horror. "D-Does that mean... I'm a... m-monster?"

**And that's a wrap! Hope y'all enjoying this fic.**

**(1) - Same kind of principals as Dragon Force. **

**So, a lot of things happened. Nifrit's a bitch, ain't she? Though to be fair, it was to be expected. And Shura's turned from a weak kid to a vengeful, desperate survivor. His freedom is something that is his main goal to achieve, along with vengeance. A nice combo to have. **

**And Shura has freed everyone from the Tower of Heaven. Just note that he didn't necessarily come to the rescue, but rather to absorb the ambient chaos that was surrounding the place. Looks like canon suffered a a result, huh?**

**The effects of Shura's actions will be discussed later. If anyone needs more information on Shura's magic, review or PM me. Also, I've modelled most of his skills from Goku Black and Zamasu from DBS. Found it awesome, to be honest. Most of them were made up on the fly, though.**

**So, with that out of the way, this chapter is brought to an end. Peace!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

**_Now, Shura, _**_Nifrit cooed, caressing the boy that she was beating. In her hand was a long whip, forged from chaos energy. **What did I say about making me mad? You wouldn't want to make me mad, would you?**_

_"I-I'm s-sorry, Lady Nifrit!" Shura sobbed, his back strewn with bleeding scars. "B-But I-I couldn't- AAAAH!" A lashing had some flesh torn off his back. Shura sobbed even harder at that._

**_'Can't' shouldn't be in your vocabulary!_** _ Nifrit hissed, eyes alight with evil. **You are the Champion of Chaos! You will. Not. Be. Weak!** Each word was impacted with a lashing that tore off more flesh from his back, leaving his spine bare.** I will accept nothing but absolute perfection from you! Am I clear, mongrel?**_

_"Y-Yes, Lady Nifrit!" Shura sobbed, his body aching with pain._

**_Good,_**_ she whispered. She grinned sadistically. **But I want to make sure that the lesson sticks. Wouldn't you?**_

_Shura's screams came after loud sounds of whiplashes. _

Shura awoke, eyes alert and panicked. He panted harshly, feeling his back for any wounds. There were none. It-It was just a dream. He laid against the wall that he was sleeping against, sweat coating his body and clinging to his clothes. He quickly wiped away the flowing tears from his eyes, reassuring himself with a promise. _One day, I _will _slay a god. I _will _have her dead at my feet._

**XXX**

Shura now walked through a small town, seeing a sign labelled 'Onibus Town'. He wore his cloak, not wanting anyone to catch an image of his face. He was walking through this town for a reason. _I need to learn more magic,_ he thought to himself, moving past the oncoming pedestrians. _And fast. Something offensive, powerful. But what?_

Shura kept on walking, eventually coming across the local library. Looking up, he hummed. "It'll do." With that, he walked in, pushing the door and hearing a bell sound ring across. The woman at the front of the desk looked at who had entered, seeing a young child wearing a cloak. "Can I help you?" she asked, frowning at his suspicious attire.

"Do you have a section upon magic?" Shura asked politely. "I'd like to read up."

"Are you a mage?" she asked curiously. Shura nodded gently. "I am. I'm learning from my... father. He said to read up on as many topics that I can find."

The woman smiled at that. "Well, who am I to stop you? Just go right on in. Although..." Here, the woman's face turned slightly serious. "Please stay clear of the restricted section of the library."

"Restricted section?" Shura questioned. Why was it restricted? Was the magic there that dangerous? And what was the point of even having a restricted section. "Why?"

"The Magic Council has decreed the magic there forbidden," she explained, making Shura even more confused. People could steal from the restricted section, with the librarian none the wiser. So why was it even there?

Deciding not to look a gift horse in the mouth, Shura nodded, walking into the normal section. His eyes skimming across the books, Shura eventually decided to explore, finding what he needed. After a couple of minutes scouring, Shura found a couple of magics that he liked.

Reading quietly from each book, Shura read, "Requip Magic: This Magic allows the users to store items in a pocket dimension so they can easily summon it at any time, even during battle, which gives them a high level of flexibility in combat. There is a limit to how much the pocket dimension can store. Requip can be used for simple or combat-related purposes. Some users may just choose to use it to change their clothing." Nodding, he took the book with him, liking the sound of it. While simple, Requip Magic could be invaluable during combat, or even outside of combat.

Looking at the next book, Shura read, "Take-Over Magic: Take-Over allows the user to, essentially, "take over" the powedr of an entity and use it to fight. It can increase the power, strength, and speed of the Caster, sometimes adding a new skill, such as flying or breathing underwater. One can only "take over" the power of beings that they truly know." Shura took that book with him. He could learn the theory behind it later.

Looking around, Shura picked up books on Rune Magic, Celestial Spirit Magic, Maker Magic, Healing Magic, The History of Magic, and other pieces of text on different things on Earthland. Satisfied with his collection, Shura quickly looked around, seeing nobody looking at him. He then opened up a shadow portal, stuffing the books inside, making them sink in.

Done scouring the normal section, Shura then attempted to sneak into the restricted section. He leaned forward, his body touching a shadow of a bookcase. He then 'melded' with the shadow, his body sinking inside. Done with that, he commanded his shadow body to move across, towards the restricted section. Now inside, Shura's body turned back to normal. He looked up, seeing the wide collection. He grinned slightly, making his way through.

He saw several books that immediately caught his attention. Reaching out, he took the book that he found. Looking at the cover, Shura read: "'Blood Magic'." He frowned in thought. He didn't know much about what blood could do. All he knew was that you bled when you were injured. Too much blood lost and you died. But maybe this book could help him understand. Opening the cover, he began mentally reading.

_Blood is often referred to as 'the liquid of life'. It is in every living being. There are various forms and methods to manipulate blood, but the best way to do so is Blood-Make Magic. The user can create, shape and manipulate blood of oneself, others or from their surroundings._

Shura immediately liked this magic. He just wanted the book to answer a question: can gods bleed? Shura had never seen Nifrit bleed, and had not known whether he was strong enough to do so. However, Shura took the book anyway. After all, he was living proof that gods could be slayed. So it's not too much of a stretch to assume that they can bleed.

After spending some time reading and inspecting each part of the book, Shura took it with him. Next, he read up on Soul Magic. This particular branch of magic was intriguing, but - from looking at the number of pages - didn't have a lot to it.

_It has been debated on whether humans have a soul. This kind of magic proves that it does. The power of Soul Magic allows others to possess the essence of souls, spirits, or entities. __The user can take over the essence of non-corporeal beings, such as ghosts or other supernatural spirit-entities._

This magic was something that intrigued him. While at first, he could see how it was immoral, and even evil in a way, Shura didn't care. If it gave him the power he needed, then he would learn it. Damn what anyone said.

Done with his task, Shura disappeared in a burst of shadows, moving out of the library and out of the town.

**XXX**

Shura sat down in a nearby forest, opening his shadow portal to look at all of his loot. He grinned, picking up one book. "Time to start studying," he said to himself. Opening the page of the first book, he began reading.

_(Three hours later)_

Shura rubbed his eyes, putting the book on Healing Magic beside several others. He groaned, yawning slightly. He mentally went over the facts and notes that he had picked up. Rune Magic was particular hard to understand, as one had to be good at calligraphy and extensive in knowledge. The former he managed to get down, but the latter was a bit harder. The proof of this was several explosions caused by his inexperience in Rune Magic. Luckily, his immortality gifted to him by Nifrit had healed him of any fatal injury.

_Guess she's useful for one thing,_ Shura bitterly thought to himself.

His mishaps aside, he managed to get through the book well enough, having a basic understanding of runes.

Healing Magic was surprisingly easy. He was no prodigy, but he was no novice either. He could do the basic healing spells, tested on several animals that came across his way. Most of the time, he was successful, only having some failures. Nevertheless, after many practices, he had gotten a good grasp of Healing Magic.

Celestial Spirit Magic left him stumped. He understood the theory, and managed to show signs for it, but the problem came with one important tool: Celestial Spirit Gate Keys. As of now, he had no way of getting keys. In fact, the only way to get Gate Keys were if you bought them, or they were passed down to you. The former only got you the Silver Keys that were cheap, and were able to get anywhere. The latter was practically impossible. Getting Gate Keys passed down to you guaranteed that you got Gold Keys. The same was with Bronze Keys**(1)**, almost as important as the Gold Keys.

However, the problem with that was that Gold Keys were extremely rare, so there was no way he was getting any. After looking through history logs on famous Celestial Spirit Mages, he came across one in particular: Anna Heartfilia, the greatest mage of her time. Apparently, her descendants turned out to have amazing potential for Celestial Spirit Magic. So, the only hope he had at excelling at it was finding a Heartfilia, and supposedly convince them to teach him and give him some Keys.

He sighed. Like that was ever going to happen.

Requip Magic also came quite easily. Testing certain items like rocks, animals and even his cloak, he could proudly say that he had a great grasp on the magic. Take-Over magic was also decent, but he needed an actual soul to 'take-over'.

Blood-Make and Soul Magic were the easiest magic for him. He hadn't mastered them, and he hadn't properly practised with them, but he had a great affinity for them. His guess was due to his Chaos God Slayer magic. Both kinds of magic were definitely considered immoral, dangerous, dark and extremely powerful: perfect for him. The only thing he needed to advance were test subjects. But the chances of finding those were very sli-

A large explosion interrupted his train of thought, allowing him to see what the commotion was about. Near Onibus Town, it seemed that there were a couple of rowdy mages. Fire mages, due to the increasing flames that were spread about.

He didn't think that this was divine intervention, but this was too great of a coincidence.

Placing his books back into his shadow portal, he stood up, disappearing.

**XXX**

"Hahaha! This is fun, Billy!" one of the mages shouted, setting fire to several buildings. He enjoyed the looks of fear on the people's faces, their expressions giving him a sense of excitement.

"Hell yeah, it is!" Billy replied, releasing another blast of powerful flames. "Woohoo! Think I managed to get a mother _and _her kid! Double kill!"

"Yeah? Check this out," another of their friends muttered. He held up his hand, ready to release a cone of flames. However, just as he was about to release it, he was kicked in the side by Shura. The man was launched to the side, crashing into the the wall of a building painfully.

"Bors!" Billy yelled, whirling towards Shura. "You're going to pay for that, bastard!"

"Hey, hold on," the first fire mage said, holding up his hand. "Is that - it's a kid! The fuck is a kid doing here?!"

"Doesn't matter," Billy waved away. He grinned maliciously. "Aw, does the little kiddie want to play superhero? How cute. Too bad you're going to _burn._"

Shura ignored them, mentally going over what he had read about Soul Magic. He drew upon his magic, and focused on Billy. "Lesser Body Possession," he uttered, magic trained on the fire mage.

Shura felt the sensation of his body losing all illusions of corporeality and his soul - his actual _soul _\- lunging forward at break neck speeds was. It felt as if someone had decided to slam him with the full force of a train. Painful. Very, very painful. Yet, he concentrated, will not breaking.

The rules of Body Possession were simple – the stronger the will of the person being possessed, the harder the possession, and it was a dominant battle of minds and of willpower for the control of the body. Luckily for Shura, he had a stronger will.

It wasn't even a contest. In the span of time it took for the two fools to laugh, Billy was already trapped. With a pitiful screech of horror and confusion, the God Slayer could literally _feel_ the weak and feeble consciousness of the man forcefully get shoved into the deepest, darkest recesses and pits of his own mind. Shura immediately took and assumed full control of his body.

He could feel the link, the urge to control Billy. It came so easily, so naturally - and he was going to abuse it.

"Billy," Shura uttered, his voice causing the fire mage to freeze. His friend looked at him, confused. "Kill your friend."

The other man scoffed. "Really? Is that the best you can do? Some lame hocus pocus? Nice try, kid. No way that-" He paused as he screamed, getting blasted by a ball of flames by Billy. "Aaaaaaaargh!" the man yelled, patting his body to get rid of the flames on his clothes. "W-What the fuck, Billy?! The hell you do that-"

Billy didn't let his friend finish. Holding up his hands, he continued blasting him with blasts of flames. The pleas from the other man went silent as he was burned alive. The smell of burnt flesh was nauseating to Shura. Even after what he had went through, the smell made him sick. Holding his mouth, he threw up to the side, emptying any lunch he previously had.

After a minute, Shura wiped his mouth, removing any traces of sick. He looked at the possessed Billy, who looked at him with an emotionless look on his face. Shura still couldn't believe that his Soul Magic was successful. Looking at the possessed man, Shura walked up to him, both of them disappearing away in a burst of shadows.

**XXX**

_Blood magic is interesting,_ Shura mused, as he used a knife he had picked up from Billy to cut him open. Blood coated the weapon as Billy didn't even scream.

Apparently, Shura had to first kill a person, making their blood exit their bodies. Then, they had to paint intricate symbols on the ground, pouring their magic into it. Finally, after chanting a few words, they allowed the blood to respond to their magic. Quite simple in practice, but there were a few things to consider:

The moral aspects of kill a person to gain this power. Shura had already done so, so he wasn't bothered.

The amount of magic needed to pour into the blood. According to the book that he found, the levels needed had to be _quite _high. Luckily, Shura had high levels of magic.

Other than that, Shura felt that the magic was perfect. Getting enough blood from Billy's corpse, Shura began to draw the symbols on the ground with the knife: 血の占有**(2). **After pouring a sizeable amount of magic inside the blood, Shura stood up, closing his eyes.

"Blood is the currency of the Soul, the very essence of a creature. To drain someone of their blood is to bleed their soul out of them. Allow me to gain control of life!" Shura's eyes snapped open, glowing a powerful ruby red.

As he spoke, his voice deepened as power seeped into it. "I shall** l**e**a**r**n** to c**o**n**trol ****of **t**he **gi**ft **of **life given to me! I shall command the very Soul, and take control of all living things! All shall bow before me!**"

A large magical circle appeared under him, and his body glowed with a crimson light. Blood-red light seeped from the circle and enveloped him, bathing his form. After a few minutes, the light faded away, revealing Shura's body.

His skin was somewhat paler, not really noticeable with his dark skin. However, the biggest change was to his eyes. They were practically crimson supernovas. They burned with a fierce intensity. Wiping away the blood from the knife with his hand, Shura looked at his new eyes. He grinned, seeing his canines turn into fangs.

"How interesting," Shura noted, licking the blood that was now on his fingers. His grin widened.

**XXX**

Shura spent the next couple of weeks hunting down mages, both rogue and legal. Most of the legal mages he attacked came from small-time guilds, or even a few Dark Guilds. He knew that if he started attacking Light Mages, he would instantly get caught by the Magic Council. So he had to be careful in who he picked.

The few mages that he did catch allowed him to test the limits of both Blood-Make and Soul magic. For Blood-Make magic, he found out that he could only control blood that he could either see or was directly outside someone's body. So, if someone bled, he could control that blood. He couldn't control blood that was inside of a person. What he found that he could do with blood was manipulate it quite easily. From causing it to rise and fall, to moving like a serpent, to even making small figures out of blood.

There were two ways that he could properly use Blood-Make magic: use his own blood, or collect blood from people. Considering his immortality, the former seemed like the best option. But even if he was immortal, he had a finite source of blood. Collecting and using the blood of others sounded beneficial if his magic were to work. And he wasn't at the level where he could just summon blood out of thin air.

His hunts were helping him with that solution. It was good because he was getting practice with actual people to fight, as well as get more blood for his spells. So far, he had caught and killed sixteen people, including rogue mages. They were much easier to find.

He managed to possess several older mages to help him get sake gourd bottles, in order for him to place the blood he collected. It was a gruelling task, but he knew that it was worth it.

Another thing he noted about Blood-Make magic: he could consume blood in order to become stronger. This was very similar to his Chaos God Slayer magic. The only difference is that he could heal faster once he consumed enough blood to keep himself alive. While his immortality did the job for him, this pseudo healing factor quickened the process, almost similar to regeneration. Shura wasn't willing to test the limits of this new power.

Another thing he took note of was his Soul Magic. Knowing that he could possess people and turn them into his slaves made him feel uncomfortable. He was a slave to a goddess, and he felt the exact same way in the Tower of Heaven. Was it right for him to use people as his own slaves? They couldn't even feel anger, fear or pain, which made the entire thing worse. Eventually, Shura started to limit the number of times he used his possession, not wanting to use it that much.

Now Shura was on a different kind of hunting: he was trying to locate the Heartfilia family. He knew that he needed to improve his Celestial Spirit Magic, as that was one of the few magics that he wanted to be proficient in. Locating them shouldn't be too hard, as they were a very famous and wealthy family. Though he had to wonder how he could get them to give him Gate Keys. While Soul Possession was the obvious choice, he didn't really enjoy using it. But he needed to advance in his magic...

Honestly, the choice was too hard. Shura sighed, wondering what he could do. The best thing was to go to the matriarch of the family, Layla Heartfilia, and ask her for guidance. It was arguably the stupidest option he could come up with, but it was honestly the most preferred one.

"I know this is somehow going to blow up," Shura muttered to himself.

**XXX**

"I'm still surprised at the fact that they have no security," Shura muttered. It was laughably easy to infiltrate the area. The guards weren't even properly defending the place.

Shura walked up along the path way. About half an hour later, when Shura came to a built-up area - which unless he wasn't told before - he would have mistaken it for a city. The boy kept walking to a structure along a well-kept road which, some meters before its entrance, crossed with one more street. Which formed a crossroad in whose centre is a fountain, possessing a circular pool and emitting water from a slender structure in its central part. Flanking the roads converging here are well-kept bushes, and similarly well-kept hedges are located among the buildings present in the area.

Shura was amazed at all of the beautiful scenery. He had never seen that many wonderful residents, but this was easily the best.

Now as he got to end the residence, Shura saw it consisted of a main structure flanked by two minor wings protruding upwards, creating a square space before the entrance itself, which sits in the centre of the facade, being flanked by two slender cylindrical towers with pointed tiled roofs, their walls adorned by elongated, hollow windows with arched tops. There were two balconies appear to sit one above the other between such towers, topping the main door, and sitting on the highest one's summit is another, larger and rectangular tower, sporting a high, pyramid-shaped tiled roof held up by pillars, which, on its top part, bears more, smaller pillars, holding up the tiled spire topping the whole structure.

The roof of the main section is similarly tiled and pitched, the windows adorning its front walls are shown to be rectangular, and sport glasses. While the wing right from the entrance hasn't been properly shown, it is likely similar to the one sitting to the left: this seems to be split in two parts, with the one adjacent to the main structure possessing features similar to it, sporting rectangular windows and being topped by a pitched tiled roof; the one to the latter's right, however, is noticeably shorter in height, bears a large, decorative double door, occupying most of its outermost face, and two towers adorning the top of the very same face, being covered in a number of small arrow slits and growing larger near their top part, ending in pyramid-shaped tiled roofs.

"Wow," Shura commented, looking around. He was about to continue looking, but was stopped by a butler.

"Halt! Who are you and why are you trespassing on the premises?!" the butler yelled out, cautious.

Shura mentally cursed himself for making a simple mistake. Of course, there'd either be butlers or maids on stand-by. Seeing that his cover was blown, he decided to wing it. "I am here to speak with Layla Heartfilia."

"You dare speak with the Lady of the house?" the butler asked, eyes narrowed.

"Yes. I am in great need of her help. I am but a simple mage, hopeful to seek guidance from her teachings." Shura knew that it was unlikely that he was going to be allowed to meet Layla. He was ready to use his Soul Possession when he heard a soft voice.

"Gerald-san, what's the matter?" the voice asked, both the butler and Shura turned to see who it was. He blushed a little at who he saw.

He saw a beautiful young woman. She had soft brown eyes along with long blonde hair, which she worn in a bun along with a lacy baby pink band with ruffles on its edges which rests on her hair with her flicks and strands of hair framing her face. She also had a very voluptuous figure.

A God Slayer he may be... he was still a young boy going through puberty. Add to the fact that this was the first woman that he considered attractive.

"Gerald-san, who is this young boy?" the blonde haired woman asked curiously.

"M-My apologies L-Layla-sama. I was just about to escort this stranger out!" Gerald stammered. Layla looked towards Shura, confused. She stepped forward, "Who are you, young man?"

Controlling himself, Shura bowed his head gently. "Layla Heartfilia. I have a request: I beg to be taught the ways of a Celestial Spirit Mage. I am in need of your guidance."

Layla was silent as she looked at Shura, seemingly contemplating something. "Please, raise your head," Layla requested. Gulping, Shura looked up towards the matriarch, doing his best to keep cool.

"What is your name, young man?" Layla asked, bending down slightly to look him in the eyes.

"Shura, ma'am," Shura answered, feeling nervous. Why was he feeling this way? What made this woman so inquisitive about him?

After staring at him for a while, Layla smiled gently. "Of course! I'll gladly teach you!"

"R-Really?!" Shura exclaimed, stunned. W-Was it that easy?!

"Layla-sama, I insist that you consider your offer!" Gerald interrupted, a worried look on his face. "T-This boy is unknown! For all we know, he could be a thief! Besides, Jude-sama will not like this-"

"Gerald-san," she interrupted, making the butler go silent. "I know what I'm doing." Looking down at Shura, she smiled. "Come with me! You look like you could use a meal!" She took his hand, dragging him deeper into the mansion. Along the way, Shura was left astounded at the fact that he was so easily accepted. Was this woman that naïve?

_Although, _Shura noted, a small smile on his face, _her hands are... very warm._

**XXX**

"What is the meaning of this, Layla?" a man demanded, standing behind a mahogany desk.

This was Jude Heartfilia, a middle-aged man with black eyes and slicked back blond hair and a matching, extremely trim moustache. He had a rather firm, square jaw. The man's hair was kept extremely neat and trim, and he was wearing what looked like a rather expensive reddish tailored suit.

"Jude, I am simply helping a young boy in need of guidance," Layla refuted, looking her husband deep into the eye.

Shura commended Layla for her courage. While he wasn't intimidated at all by the man, he could tell that Jude was used to using his immense wealth and influence to scare people. He had no illusions that he didn't do the same thing to his family.

"You expect me to believe that this... _boy _is actually honest about his intentions?" Jude scoffed, saying the word 'boy' as if he couldn't think of anything less to say. Shura's eyes narrowed, about to snap at the man. Layla, however, placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking her head slightly.

"Yes. I'm not one to turn away someone in need of help," Layla said, looking at Jude sternly. "Besides, it helps that I have something to do other than taking care of Lucy."

"I told you, you can leave the staff to do that. You have work to do," Jude waved away dismissively.

Now Shura could feel that Jude had said something he shouldn't. Layla's eyes sharpened, making her husband flinch.

"You will _not _tell me how to raise my child. Nor tell me what I can and can't do around here. Do you understand?" she said sharply, a slight glare on her features.

Jude nodded quickly, backing away slightly. "Y-Yes, of course. Y-You may go on and teach the boy."

"Good." Layla's glare faded away, leaving her normal expression. "Come, young Shura. Let's see if we can get your training started." Shura followed Layla, a smile on his face at seeing the rude man being put in his place.

**XXX**

Shura walked with Layla to some fields beside the mansion. "Now, Shura. You say that you are a Celestial Spirit Mage?"

"Yes," he nodded. He decided to keep his other magic a secret. "But I don't have any Keys to practice with."

"I see," Layla said, a small smile on her face. "I assume you know the basics?" At seeing him nod, her smile widened. "Great! Now, let's see if you're compatible with one of my own Keys..."

**XXX**

It was six months since Shura had come to the Heartfilia residence, and he could honestly say that it was the best six months of his life. Layla was an amazing teacher; calm, supportive, yet stern when needed to be. Much different than training with Nifrit. She had allowed him to use several of her Gate Keys; like Capricorn, Cancer and Aquarius. Capricorn and Cancer were cool to hang around with, with Capricorn offering to help train him in hand-to-hand combat. But Aquarius was completely rude whenever he tried to summon her, always using any nearby water to douse him.

While Shura was learning under Layla, he eventually met her daughter, Lucy. She was practically the spitting image of her mother, with no traces of her father on her. The meeting between the two was quite an experience.

_Flashback_

_"Hi, there!" a voice called out, making Shura turn towards who had spoken. It was a blonde-haired girl, about two years younger than him. She wore a girly dress that was pink in colour, with a frilly end and everything._

_"Hello," Shura greeted. "I assume that you are Lucy?"_

_"Yep!" Lucy nodded happily. Kaa-san says that you're learning under her? That's so cool!"_

_Shura allowed a small smile on his face. He never really interacted with kids around his age. In his old village, the kids would always run away from him. The difference was... nice. "Yeah, it's very cool."_

_"Kaa-san is also teaching me, but she said she'll move onto the harder stuff when I'm older." Lucy puffed up her cheeks, looking kind of cute. "I wanna learn now."_

_"Maybe it's for a good reason?" Shura suggested, making Lucy turn towards him. "It's obvious that Layla-san knows what she's doing. She could be protecting you from more of the stuff that you don't understand yet."_

_"That... makes sense." Lucy now had an embarrassed look on her face. "Now I feel kinda bad."_

_"Don't be. I'm sure she'll understand." Shura placed a hand on her shoulder. He could tell that was the case. Layla was way too nice. She was able to take in someone like him into her house._

_"Let's play!" Lucy suggested randomly, making Shura look at her, confused._

_"P-Play?" he questioned, confused. Was that the same thing the kids from his village did?_

_"You don't know how to play?" Lucy asked, confused. "Didn't your mummy and daddy tell you?"_

_Shura's features turned blank. "My... mother died when I was born. And my father was killed in a village raid."_

_Lucy had a sad look on her face, her hands moving to her mouth. "I'm so sorry! I-I didn't know!"  
_

_"It's okay," Shura assured, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You didn't know."_

_"W-Well, I can teach you!" Lucy suggested, hopeful to change the subject. "Come on!" Taking his hand, Lucy dragged him to the field, Shura following her._

_"H-Hey! Wait!" Shura yelled, but Lucy didn't listen. Eventually, the got to the fields to play. It was something that Shura would treasure for a long time._

_End Flashback_

Since then, Shura and Lucy had been great friends, always seen playing with each other. They played all sorts of games, even some new ones that none of them knew of, but still did anyway.

Whenever she saw the two playing, Layla always had a smile on her face, happy that her daughter had found someone her age to play with. Though she did always tease the two, enjoying how they both blushed at that.

Shura even enjoyed meeting the staff. When he first met the chef and was offered some food, Shura almost broke down in tears, hugging the chef. Shocked, the chef patted his back, wondering why the boy was acting like this. Then Shura devoured the food with gusto, biting and tearing into it savagely, someone that surprised each member of the household. When the chef and Layla saw this, they both shared a glance, before Layla asked him to make more food for Shura. Something that the Chaos God Slayer enjoyed immensely.

The other butlers and maids enjoyed having him around, as he always helped around with each of the tasks. While they insisted that they were fully capable, Shura was stubborn, wanting to show his thanks for all the things that they've done for him over the six months that he'd been there.

The only one that Shura didn't get along with was Jude. Whenever he was in clear earshot, he would always badmouth the boy, give him the cold shoulder, or just glare in his direction. Shura was very tempted to just kill the man right there, but held back because of Layla and Lucy.

That didn't mean that he wasn't rude to his family. Shura could tell that Jude was cold and uncaring to his wife and daughter. What disgusted Shura was how he thought of Lucy as a pawn for his business, rather than his own daughter. It was when Jude talked about marrying off Lucy to some business tycoon's son when she was older did Shura snap.

Layla argued with Jude, totally against the entire idea. It was when they were arguing that Jude had made to hit his own wife. Shocked, Layla was almost about to get hit when Shura stepped in, grabbing his wrist. With a twitch, the boy had broken Jude's wrist. Then, he had followed it up with a powerful punch that launched Jude through his desk.

The half-Etherious was about to kill the man right there and then, but Layla stopped him, saying that it wasn't worth it. Disgusted, Shura shook his hand away from Layla, exiting the room.

Now, he was sleeping in the same room as Lucy, the two lying in the same bed. Shura was planning on sleeping on his own, but Lucy - who had overheard the conversation - was scared, wondering if her father would just take her away. While Shura assured her that nothing would happen to her, he did his best to hide his own disgust for the man. A daughter shouldn't have to fear like Lucy did Jude.

Seeing that she was still worried, Shura decided to sleep beside her, keeping a comfortable distance between the two. So, the two drifted off to sleep, Lucy content that Shura would protect her.

As Shura slept, he was woken up by a voice. A familiar, dreaded voice. '_Hello, my champion,'_ Nifrit's voice greeted in his mind. '_How have you been?'_

Shura was wide awake, his heart beating rapidly. His eyes widened immediately.

_'Are you not happy to see me?' _the goddess asked, a teasing tone present in her voice.

'_Lady Nifrit,_' Shura greeted, a mask present on his face. '_It is wonderful to hear from you again. I see your strength has returned.'_

_'Only some of it has returned,' _she corrected, making Shura's eyes widen at that fact. '_The broken laws were more extensive than I thought. But I see you've been busy. Learning new types of magic. Are you not satisfied with my own magic?'_

_'Of course, Lady Nifrit,' _Shura relayed back. '_But diversity is needed. Relying on one type of magic, no matter how powerful, will lead to people seeing it as predictable, and eventually finding a weakness in my style. None of us want that.'_

Shura was silent, hoping that Nifrit would buy his excuse. His heart was beating loudly in his ears. A minute passed. Two minutes. Then...

_'You mortals and your insecurities,'_ Nifrit scoffed, but she sounded convinced. Shura let out a sigh of relief at that. '_So, my champion. You are still loyal to me, correct?'_

Shura wanted nothing more than to deny her and hope that she'd kill him, but that was a foolish hope. _'Of course, Lady Nifrit. I am at your command.'_

_'Oh? So, you're absolutely willing to do anything I tell you to do?'_ Her voice came in a soft cooing. _'__No matter how vile and despicable by your human standards of morality? You will do it?'_

A trick question. He knew where it was going. Answering in the affirmative would mean providing the necessary proof to substantiate his claim. Answering in the negative would give up his ploy of playing the subservient servant. Regardless of what Shura chose, the outcomes would be unfortunate. Hence, he decided it was best to continue the ploy as far as plausible.

'_Yes.'_

'_Very well. Slaughter everyone in this mansion. Start with the little girl next to you.'_

Shura froze.

_'Oh, and emphasis, my dear champion, on _slaughter.'

Kill Layla? The butlers and maids? Lucy? Impossible. He couldn't. The only one that he'd consider killing was Jude, and he was hesitant to do so, as he didn't want Layla to be distressed.

_'__You hesitate, my champion. What is the matter? Were you not swearing about your complete determination to me?'_

Shura shook. He couldn't. He couldn't do such a thing. Not to the people who had been nothing but kind to him for the past six months. H-He couldn't. He _wouldn't._

_'Well?'_

'_I can't,'_ Shura answered.

_'Can't, or_ won't?'

_'Won't,' _Shura retorted angrily. _'I refuse.'_

It was silent for a moment, before Shura could literally feel the rage Nifrit expressed. '_Pitiful. __I cannot say I am surprised. All that talk – all of it was for some juvenile attempt at making me believe you are willing to be a faithful servant. All of it – some ridiculous ruse. Did you think that somehow, if you got me to trust you, you would be capable of changing your situation? Betraying me at the end after playing the role of the perfect servant?'_

Shura growled at having his ploy found out. His body hissed as it was wracked in pain.

_'While I normally find your defiance entertaining,' _Nifrit spoke, her voice steely and cold, _'this isn't one of those times. I see that you will not listen to me. Then you shall suffer._'

Shura bit his tongue tightly, refusing to give her the satisfaction of hearing his screams. He cried himself to sleep that night. Not at the pain, but at the fact that nobody was safe around him. Especially the Heartfilias.

**XXX**

"There you go, Layla-san," Shura reassured, using his Healing Magic to steady Layla. Layla coughed, looking at him in relief. "Thank you, Shura-san."

Layla had mysteriously come down with Magic Deficiency Disease, a common magical disease where the recipient lost their magic at a rapid pace. It seemed like everyone had known that Layla had it. Everyone except Shura.

Since he had found out, Shura had been relentless in trying to heal her. He had gone to the shops and purchased potions of different kinds. He had upped his training in Healing Magic, and did everything he could to heal her.

Lucy stood by her side, clutching her mother's hand gently. "K-Kaa-san? Will you be alright?" Lucy asked, tears falling from her eyes.

Layla looked at her daughter, about to speak. She, however, coughed up a small amount of blood.

"Layla-san, stay with me!" Shura yelled, holding her gently as he did his best to apply his Healing Magic.

"Kaa-san!" Lucy yelled, holding his mother's hands. Layla looked towards Lucy.

"My... sweet Lucy. Don't worry, I'll... be fine." Her eyes drooped a little, making Shura's eyes widen.

"What's happening?!" Shura snapped towards several maids, who jumped. One managed to step forward, seeing her vitals as she was hooked up to a machine. Her eyes widened.

"She's fading fast!" the maid shouted, making everyone's eyes widen.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Shura yelled, doing his best to expel more magic. Lucy was crying at the thought of her mother dying. The maids and butlers did everything they could, using different medicines and potions. Yet, none of it seemed to work.

"Her vitals are dropping fast!" the previous maid shouted. Now everyone was panicking. None of them wanted Layla to die. Not only would they all have to deal with Jude, but all of them genuinely loved the matriarch. She was kind, caring, and loving to all of them.

Shura wracked his brain, trying to figure out what to do. His Healing Magic wasn't advanced enough to deal with something like this. If he didn't do anything, Layla was going to... die. Just the very thought sent a sharp pain in his heart.

He tried coming up with a solution, but came up with nothing. ... No, not nothing. His eyes widened as he remembered something.

"I have something that might save her," Shura announced, making everyone turn towards him.

"W-What?" the maid stuttered out, confused.

"It's... a forbidden spell. Dangerous. I-I haven't tested it yet," he stuttered, trying to make himself concentrate.

"Then do it! She's dying!" the maid snapped, making the boy flinch. Gerald stepped forward, placing a hand on her shoulder. She calmed down, but still looked worried.

"Will it work?" Gerald asked.

"I... I don't know," Shura answered, looking at Layla's withering life force fading on the machine. "But..." Memories of her teaching him, caring for him, tending to him. All of those memories flooded his mind as he continued staring at the woman who first showed him kindness in his life. "I'll try."

Lucy placed a hand on Shura's own, making him look at her. "Please... Save her," she pleaded, making Shura nod. Turning to Layla, Shura bent down towards her neck. He opened his mouth, displaying his fangs.

"Blood-Make: Familiar Binding," he uttered. Then, he bit down on Layla's neck.

Everyone gasped at his actions. Some made to stop him, but were stopped by several butlers.

"What are you doing?! He's killing her!" one maid shouted, but Gerald shook his head.

"The boy cares for Layla-sama just as we do," he explained. He turned to look at Shura's actions. "Let's watch as this plays out."

Immediately, Shura's body glowed as his magic flowed from his fangs towards Layla's neck. She moaned softly, her body glowing the same red as Shura was. The corks of his gourd popped open, blood rushing out and following his commanded. The blood swirled towards Shura's fangs and Layla's neck, injecting her with his magic.

Shura concentrated as he continued biting down on Layla's neck, drinking some of her blood. He kept on pumping her body with his own blood. _Please be alright, please be alright_, Shura mentally pleaded.

After a couple of minutes of this, Shura detached his fangs from her neck as he watched nervously. After a couple of minutes, everyone watched impatiently, waiting for results. Just when it seemed like Layla had died, her vitals started picking up on the machine. Her body sprang up as she gasped, her eyes now glowing crimson. She panted harshly as many of the maids stepped back in shock and surprise.

Lucy, however, did no such thing. "Kaa-san!" she yelled, grabbing her mother in a giant hug. Layla hugged her daughter as she looked around frantically, wondering what had happened.

"W-What happened?" she asked, slightly shocked. Her eyes had gone back to her normal brown.

Shura quickly hugged her as well, surprising her. "Y-You're alright," he whispered, tears trickling down his face. "You're alright." He kept muttered the words over and over, happiness bursting in his chest.

After having all of what happened explained to her, Layla looked at Shura thankfully. "Shura, thank you. You-you saved my life. I owe you a great debt."

"It was no problem," Shura waved away with a smile. Turning towards Lucy, she frowned. "Lucy, did... did your father come to check on me? At all?"

She hesitated. Seeing the looks on everyone's faces, she received her answer.

"I see," Layla said, her tone sad.

"Layla, I have a proposition for you," Shura offered, making the woman look at him. "Leave."

"Wha-" Layla managed to say, but Shura continued. "Leave him. Take Lucy with you, so that become a real family. Join a guild, get away, live your life. Please."

Layla frowned, knowing why Shura was requesting this. "Shura, I-"

"You said that you owe me a debt, correct?" Stunned, she nodded. "Then this is my request: let you and Lucy live your lives, as a family."

Layla frowned, but seeing the hopeful look on her daughter's face, she finally relented. "A-Alright. I-We will."

Shura smiled, happy. Layla turned towards the staff and maids. "My friends, I-"

"Don't, Layla-sama," Gerald waved away. "We agree with Shura-san. We want you and Lucy-sama to be happy. We can deal with Jude by ourselves. You don't need to worry about us. Please, leave this place. For us."

Hesitating, Layla eventually nodded. Tears sprang in her eyes. "T-Thank you. All of you." As she silently wept, her eyes widened. "Shura. Why did you make it sound like y-you're not coming with us?"

Shura's expression went from happy to downtrodden. "I..."

"Shura, what's wrong?" Lucy asked, placing her hand on his arm.

With a guilty expression, Shura explained, "I have to l-leave you guys."

Lucy's eyes widened. Her hands clutched him tighter than she had ever done before. "NO! I'M NOT LEAVING YOU! PLEASE SHURA, STAY WITH US!"

Everyone's eyes widened at the display. Shura bit his lip, tears springing to his eyes. "I-I can't. Lucy, please. Don't make it harder than it already is."

"Why must you go, Shura?" Layla asked, sadness creeping into her face.

He turned to look at her. "My path... is best suited for me and me alone. I don't want any of you getting hurt."

"N-No," Lucy refuted defiantly. "Y-Y-You can't. Y-You're my friend. We can face this together."

"NO!" Shura quickly denied, shocking those present. "Y-You can't," he responded shakily. "Please. I don't want you - any of you - getting hurt. I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't want to help you."

"But-" "I'm _begging _you," Shura interrupted, looking Lucy deep in the eyes. "Please. Live your life with your mother. Without your father. Just, go."

Lucy's confident demeanour faded away, tears falling from her eyes. She made to say something, but Layla put a hand on her shoulder. Looking up at her mother, she heard, "Lucy. I know you're hurting. I am too. But... maybe we should trust Shura, in what he has to do."

Looking towards the young boy, she asked, "You'll come visit us, won't you?"

Shura stayed silent. Truthfully, he didn't know. He didn't want either of them wrapped up in Nifrit's sick, twisted plans. He didn't want her making him hurt them. He'd never do that. He'd suffer a thousand times before that happened.

So, while the reasonable response should've been 'No', his heart ached. It ached at the thought of never visiting the two people who he cared for. The thought merely broke him. "I-I will."

Smiling, Layla bent down and kissed Shura's forehead softly. She then looked back towards him. "Then I want you to promise me something. In addition to meeting us one day, I want you to keep that goodness in your heart. I know that you've had a troubled past." Shura flinched. "I won't pry, as I know you might not be ready to open up, but I want you to remember that - as bad as things may be - you still have people who love and cherish you. Who love your kindness and good heart. So please, keep that."

Shura felt tears falling from his eyes. Not for the first time, he cursed Nifrit to the deepest pits of hell. This-this wasn't fair! Why?! Why did he have to suffer?! For some sick goddess' amusement and ego?! He wanted to stay with them! Live with them! Be happy! He wanted it so much! For all his life, he had been denied happiness! And now... he was throwing that happiness away, to keep them safe...

Shura swallowed back his sobs, steeling his features. He had to protect this happiness. For their sake, he-he had to stay away. As long as they were safe, then he could endure. Endure until one day, Nifrit was slayed by his hand.

"I'll... do my best," he assured. He didn't know what the future held, but he planned to remember Layla's words. To the best of his abilities.

Smiling, she kissed his forehead again. "That's all I ask."

**XXX**

That day, Shura quickly snuck into Jude's private study, stealing anything he could find. The man had made his wife's and daughter's lives miserable. All for the sake of money. So, he was going to rob what he had worked so hard for.

Several things caught his interest. More books on Rune Magic, several dark books on several artefacts, other books on several recordings on Celestial Spirit Magic, jewels, and a deed for a fancy hotel in Magnolia.

Done with his hunting, Shura returned to the room where Layla and Lucy had packed their stuff. "Are you ready?" he asked.

"Yes. I have packed up everything needed. But..." Reaching into her pocket, Layla drew out two keys. Specifically, two _Golden _Keys. Shura's eyes widened as the Keys were placed into his hands. "These are the Gate Keys for Capricorn and Cancer. I know that you'll take good care of them."

"I..." Shura felt like crying again, but he held in his tears. There was no need for them. Not anymore. "T-Thank you, Layla. I'll miss you dearly."

"The same from me," she responded. She then wrapped Shura in a massive hug. "Thank you, Shura. For everything that you've done for our family."

"... Bye, Shura," Lucy mumbled, a sad look on her face as she joined in on the hug. "I'll miss you as well."

"Same," Shura chuckled in response. After a couple of minutes, they all separated. "I'll come visit you," Shura said strongly, smiling.

"I'll hold you to that promise," Lucy promised, looking him deep in the eyes.

Once they handed the address of the hotel to him, they saw each other off. Layla had promised him not to worry about Jude, as she would take care of the man.

With a tearful goodbye, Shura set off, his heart stronger than ever. He'd never forget the Heartfilias and their kindness towards him. He _would _protect that happiness. That was something that he vowed to keep.

**Whoo. That's done.**

**This was a doozy of a chapter to write. Filled with killing, happiness, pain, sadness, etc. Hope y'all like it.**

**I plan for Lucy to go Fairy Tail much earlier, as it was her dream. Without her father to interfere, she can go there earlier.**

**And Layla's alive! Whoo! But the spell Shura used will come into play much later. Make things much more fun.**

**Now, there's one more thing I need to speak about: Vic Mignogna being let go from Funimation.**

**I know this discussion should be for a different story (namely my Solaris fic), but I need to rant. Because ranting is fun! Ready? Good.**

**I don't know if the rumours of sexual harassment are true or not on his part, but I'm willing to believe that they're false. Why? Because 1) I genuinely think he's a nice guy. 2) If these rumours were such a big deal, and Vic is an 'evil' person, then why the fuck are people making noise about it now?! This shit's been going on for DECADES! Yet, when the DBS movie destroyed the box office, it's now that people cry out? Utter bullshit!**

**Then I heard and watched a video about him apologising for his actions, and I'm like... 'You're being forced to apologise for hugging eager fans?' God, what has this world come to?**

**Nobody has any evidence of Vic assaulting anyone. The supposed "victims" have all come out and said Vic is innocent and any 'touching' he ever did was completely consensual. One of the accusers has been exposed for lying simply because Vic didn't sign her fanart. The accusers as a whole have been exposed for tampering with evidence, photoshopping, and making false claims with no police report of any evidence to back said claims up. And people STILL believe Vic did something wrong?**

** I honestly can't see how anyone with a brain thinks Vic did something wrong. It does not matter if you're an SJW, liberal, conservative, democrat, republican, or some other kind of bullshit group. Anyone with an ounce of reasoning and intelligence can see that this entire drama with Vic is nothing more than horse shit.**

**Dear Lord, I feel like bitch-slapping the stupidity out of people, if this is the thing they're resorting to. **

**Now... I'm calm. Still fuming and raging, but calm. Sorry if I exploded a bit, this case just... really pissed me off. Not to mention that Vic Mignogna is one of my favourite anime voice actors. Putting me into an even further sour mood.**

**Anyways, this rant's for another time.**

**Read and Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

Shura continued on his path, killing mages and enduring the torture he received from Nifrit. He had been doing this for a couple of weeks, but found the acts soothing. He had come across low-class mages, around C-Rank or D-Rank. While laughably weak, they were excellent blood banks. Plus, they were also great practice for his use of Celestial Spirit Magic. Capricorn did feel insulted whenever he was summoned to take down some weak mages, but Shura assured him it was so he could get used to using him and Cancer much quicker.

Speaking of Capricorn, the Celestial Spirit had taken time to teach Shura how to fight in hand-to-hand combat properly. It was something he took to heart, since he both respected Capricorn and saw the logic in his words. There may be moments where he could be without magic. And while he could rely on his Curse, Shura didn't want to take the chance. So he kept on practising with him, getting the hand of physical combat.

At night, he was assaulted with almost unimaginable pain from Nifrit, who saw fit to punish him for his disobedience. Shura took it in stride. He did end up crying every time he went to sleep, but - if anything - he had gotten used to the pain. At least he built up his pain tolerance during each nap.

Finally, after killing another pathetic mage, Shura found himself quite bored. Truthfully, it had been a while since he had gotten an actual challenge. Someone who could actually fight back. While he was no battle maniac, he was feeling quite restless at the fact that he had no one to properly test his skills on. No one a good fight.

He considered his options. He could either keep on doing what he was doing, and hopefully come across someone strong, or attack one of the guilds. He was liking the latter option much better, and was considering which guilds to attack. Light Guilds were probably not the best idea, since there could be more stronger mages who could take him out. Dark Guilds tended to have weaker members, with only a couple truly standing out. At least, those not in or connected to the Balam Alliance.

Mind made up, Shura was able to enter quite a small town, named Truffle Town. He immediately went to the local pub, as that was the best place to gather information on certain topics. As he walked, he could see a couple of Rune Knights stationed around here. He frowned, noting to keep his actions to a bare minimum.

He walked in, pushing past the doors and immediately headed towards the main desk. He could feel eyes on him, but he didn't care. He walked up towards a stool, sitting on it as he faced the male bartender. He had quite a large beer belly, with an apron that managed to contain his size, and civilian clothes. He was currently wiping a glass cup.

The bartender raised an eyebrow at seeing Shura sit down at the desk. "Aren't you a little young to be entering a bar, kid?" he asked, amused.

Shura simply placed a hand on a rune that he had inscribed onto it, pushing some magic. There was a small burst of magic, before jewels were in his hand. He slapped it on the desk, looking at the man with a deadpanned look. "I have money. I assume that it won't really matter what age I am?"

The bartender raised an eyebrow, eyeing the money on the table. "You sure, kid? I don't want anyone accusing me of robbing you? What would your pare-" He immediately stopped as he felt the glare that was aimed at him from through the cloak. Despite his age, it was a very intimidating glare. **(A.N. - Like how Alucard - actually, a lot of people, now that I think about it - have an eye - or eyes -**** showing through the shadows in Hellsing).**

"R-Right! W-What would you like, kid? Beer? Whiskey?" he nervously asked, sweating.

"Anything that's good," he replied. The bartender took the money as Shura waited patiently. He ignored the sniggers and laughter of seeing a kid here. As long as they didn't start anything, he was good. The bartender came back with a glass of whiskey.

"Here ya go, kid," he said. Nodding in thanks, Shura picked up the glass and tried to down the whole thing. Immediately, he recoiled, almost spitting out his drink.

"Hahaha!" the bartender laughed, a couple of others joining in. "Don't you know not to down the whole glass in one go for your first time?! You really are a newbie!" a man shouted. He then proceeded to down the whole of his glass, getting cheers from the other men around him.

Slightly embarrassed, Shura raised his glass to drink more of his whiskey. The bartender grew alarmed. "H-Hey kid, slow down!"

Shura didn't listen, downing the whole glass in a go. He ignored the burning sensation that he felt and looked at the man who had spoken with a challenging look.

"Lookie here, Rick! The kid's got some balls trying to challenge you!" a man beside Rick laughed. Rick ignored him, sneering at Shura.

"Kid, you really don't want this challenge," he growled, standing up to loom over the boy. Shura didn't waver, only smiling slightly.

"I'm pretty sure I do," he rebutted, making others 'ooh'.

Rick laughed, his muscular body lurching. "Alright! Oi, Matt! Bring the kid and me a couple of barrels! We're doing a drinking challenge!"

There was loud cheering from around the bar as Rick sat down beside Shura, the bartender bringing out some barrels. Rick glared at the God Slayer. "Name your price, boy."

"If I win, you give me information about why the people here are so uneasy, and the cause of it," Shura said. There was some unease amongst the crowd, but they managed to get into the cheer.

"Fine. _When _I win, you give me all of your money," Rick listed. There was a lot of booing from the crowd, but he waved it away. "Deal?"

"Deal," Shura confirmed. With that, the two began their challenge.

_(Twenty minutes later)_

Shura was sluggishly drinking his fifteenth barrel, his opponent slowing down and collapsing on the table. He sighed, the empty barrel landing on the ground as he burped slightly.

Turns out that both he was somewhat immune to getting drunk. He felt light-headed, almost woozy, but he was coherent. It must've been due to his immortality. At least he could avoid getting poisoning from alcohol.

"N-No way!" a man uttered. "Rick lost. To a _kid._"

Seeing that the man was down, Matt raised his hand in the air. "Give it up for the kid!"

There was a lot of cheering, some boos, and other kinds of sounds around as Shura drunkenly raised his hand in the air. He made to say something, but paused, holding his mouth. He quickly ran outside to vomit, having consumed too much alcohol.

After ten minutes of using his Healing Magic, he recovered, walking back into the bar again. He saw that his opponent was still unconscious. "Now that I've won," Shura said, as if he hadn't just thrown up, "anyone want to tell me why people are so afraid?"

It was silent in the bar, no one willing to speak up. Finally, someone said, "I know."

Parting, the crowd could see that it was a man, who had a severe pot belly, and balding hair.

"What do you know?" Shura asked him.

"It's the Dark Guild, Dark Claw," he revealed, making other people flinch.

"Do they attack you?" Shura asked curiously.

"Aye. They keep robbing us of all of our goods and people. They kidnap most of the women, run off with them." He scowled. "We've been trying to get the Rune Knights to deal with the case, but they're all like: 'Oh, we don't have enough resources.' Or: 'We're busy, come back another time'. It's disgusting."

"Do you know where they are?" he asked.

"Yeah. Six miles south of here. They live in a big, dark building. Can't miss it."

"Thanks," Shura nodded. He then went to exit the bar.

"H-Hey, kid. You're not seriously thinking of attacking their guild, are you?" Matt questioned, nervous.

"That's exactly what I'm going to do," Shure replied, still walking.

"T-They'll kill you! This isn't time to be a damn hero! Don't be so stupid!" a man yelled. Others joined in, trying to persuade Shura to stop and listen. He did none of those things. Instead, he disappeared in a burst of shadows, leaving the pub stunned.

**XXX**

The members of Dark Claw were all drinking and laughing inside their guild hall.

"So when do we go back to that village and pick us up another few whores, eh?" a member asked with a perverse grin on his face.

"Come on, man. We've already taken enough people for the slave trade," another member responded to his comrade's question.

"Pigs," a female member of Dark Claw muttered, before slapping a male member who managed to grope her breasts, sending him to the ground. The guild master was a large man, in terms of muscle size, not fat, and was laughing as he sat upon the throne set in the room.

"Master, when do we go back for more people?" another female member asked. The master waved his hand.

"We will return to Truffle Village for another set of people in another hour, then we will have some 'fun'... with our new 'guests'," the master of Dark Claw grinned widely before getting up. He walked over to a door that led to another part of the large guild. The master smirked as he saw the frightened men and women, ranging from teenagers to full grown adults, backing into a single corner to try and escape the man. He bent down and cupped the cheek of a young girl who looked to be around fifteen.

Suddenly, the door was kicked down harshly, making it fly towards a couple of Dark Claw members. The door collided with them, making them barrel towards the wall in a crash. The mages of Dark Claw panicked, before getting ready to attack.

The master was not happy. He stepped forward, muscles clenched. "Who dares come and attack Dark Claw?!" he bellowed. He was surprised when a young boy who looked to be fifteen entered. He had dark skin, long hair and crimson red eyes. He wore a black cloak that seemed to cover his whole body, not giving any other physical features away.

"It's just a fucking kid?!" a man exclaimed, stunned. Shura ignored the outburst, looking directly at the master. "Are you Dark Claw?" he asked, voice monotone. The master Requipped a large, obsidian blade to his hands, clenching it.

"So what if we are? You're going to be dead before you'll leave this place." Shura chuckled at that, irking the master and the other mages.

"You stole my line," he said simply. With that, the corks of his gourd popped open as blood rushed out of them, surprising and scaring many of the mages. Morphing into tendrils, the blood rushed towards many Dark Claw members, piercing and skewered them. There were cries of pain as most of them died, their blood being drawn towards the tendrils of blood, making them stronger.

"K-Kill him!" one mage shouted. Many roared in agreement, charging towards Shura, despite their fear. The boy hummed, a mass of blood whipping behind him and choking a female guild member. She tried to gasp, but was quickly robbed of oxygen as her body fell slack. The mass of blood wrapped itself around her neck, snapping it.

"Blood-Make: Blood Tsunami," Shura intoned. Immediately, all of the gathered blood obeyed his command and coalesced together, forming a giant tidal wave of blood. Some guild members stopped, turning to run away, but it was too late. The tsunami burrowed straight into them, crushing them under the force.

"Blood-Make: Blood Stakes!" he yelled. The blood on the ground sharpened, forming into spikes and instantly skewering through many more approaching guild members who survived the first attack, killing them brutally.

All of the kidnapped prisoners watched, astonished. A boy no older than fifteen was decimating an entire guild of mages. They saw how he didn't even move, bending the blood around him to slice members of the Dark Guild in half, chop off their limbs, decapitate them, stab them through the heart and other vitals.

"Bullet Magic: Bullet Volley!" a member announced. A magic circle appeared in front of her, releasing a hailstorm of bullets towards the prone Shura. Without even looking at her, Shura commanded the blood to shield him from the bullets, making them flow inside the liquid. They then warped slightly, firing back the bullets with twice the speed that they were initially fired with. This rebound killed the caster and several other of her comrades behind her.

Shura finally moved, dodging a double kick from two members. He punched through one member's chest, blood coating his fist that came from the other side. He then grabbed the dead man's body and bit down harshly on his neck, drinking his blood. He mentally recoiled, still continuing his actions. _His __blood tastes disgusting._

Kicking him away, Shura commanded the corpse's blood to form a whip, controlling it to swing around and decapitate several approaching guild members. Turning the blood into a massive glob, he then grabbed several female members in it, crushing them. "Blood-Make: Blood Coffin."

The half-Etherious kicked another three members with a roundhouse kick, which had allowed for him to simultaneously cut them in half at the hip as whips of blood ejected from the point of contact with the member he hit. The whips flew through their bodies like they were water and they fell to the ground, dead.

Shura then connected with the remaining blood trail, creating a large construct. "Blood-Make: Blood Dragon Dance!" A large blood dragon formed, tearing and shredding approaching members, coating the floors with massive amounts of blood.

"Blood-Make: Blood Twister!" A small whirlpool of blood was formed, swallowing up any remaining guild member. The guild master and kidnapped people watched in awe and fear as Shura and the the guild walls were coated in blood. He slurping sound was heard as Shura drank up all the blood around him, gulping as each gallon poured down his throat.

Shura wiped his mouth as he grinned darkly at the remaining members, who shook in fear. Shura kept on approaching them, eyes gleaming. "M-Monster!" a male member shouted, falling to his knees in fear.

"Flattery gets you everywhere," Shura responded. Blood bent to his command as he sliced off the head of another member and then kicked another in the skull, causing the neck of the victim to snap from the force. Shuta ducked beneath a stab from a sword and grabbed the member's outstretched arm and broke the arm at the elbow joint, causing the sword to fall. Shura caught the blade and stabbed it into its original wielder's skull before withdrawing it and throwing it as if it were a throwing knife. The blade flew straight and true, impaling through at least three people in one go, making them look like a shish-kebab.

Shura twisted and slammed a fist into another member's face, causing the nose to break before sending a barrage of blood from the magic seal that formed in front of his palm, shredding the Dark Claw member's face to the bone. Looking down at a whimpering and crawling man, Shura quickly stepped forward and stomped down on his head, blood, bone and brain matter scattered all over his foot.

A lightning spell flew at him, but Shura dodged it, a blood tendril slicing through the caster and appearing out of his chest. During a small scuffled with a large crowd of Dark Claw members, the kidnapped people, despite the fact that they were tied up, managed to get up and hop out of a large hole in the wall.

Seeing this, Shura decided to finish this. "Blood-Make: Blood Rain!" A large blob of blood floated in the air, before firing off bullet-sized projectiles of blood, piercing and killing any remaining Dark Claw member instantly. All except the guild master.

Shura scowled, holding out his hand. His Violent Fierce God Slicer appeared in his hands. He kept on walking towards the guild master, who had soiled himself in fear. "Humans like you disgust me," Shura said, snarling. "People like you remind me that humans are just as bad as monsters."

Raising his hand up, Shura brought his magic sword down in a wide slash, bisecting the guild master in half and literally splitting the guild hall in half. A large shockwave erupted with enough force to shake the earth and the kidnapped victims who had run a decent distance away from the guild, also managed to feel it, causing them to fall to the ground. They turned back and gaped as they saw the guild suddenly have a beam of energy that cut through it, before it just split open, like an egg.

Dismissing his Violent Fierce God Slicer, Shura sighed in relief. "That... was exhilarating," he muttered. "My first actual fight, and it was glorious." Done with his work, Shura walked towards the crowd of shocked, but still tied-up, people. Shura simply raised his hand, making them flinch out of fear as they thought he was going to kill them as well. However, they were surprised when blood flew to his command, slicing through their bindings. They tore the duct tape from their mouth, looking at Shura.

"Thank you... for saving us," they all thanked, bowing to Shura with large grins on their faces. Shura just stared for a moment at seeing them bow to him. He felt... slightly good. He didn't plan to save them, only to test his abilities. Yet... he found their thankful expressions towards him slightly satisfying. Still, he decided to be honest.

"I didn't aim to save you all," he revealed to them. "I just wanted to kill those Dark Claw members."

"Even so..." a man spoke, stepping forward. "You did indirectly save us, so again... thank you." Shura nodded, before walking around the group. The crowd's eyes still trained on the cloaked boy. He headed back to Truffle Village, the crowd following behind him, as if he were a king.

"Well... this is an interesting development," Shura commented as he saw the hearts appear in some of the eyes of the women in the crowd as they looked at him. After a good ten minutes, they all arrived at Truffle Village. Shura turned to the crowd of previous kidnaps and looked back at the entrance to the village. The sky was beginning to gain a golden glow as the sun was about to rise. He looked over the crowd.

"Your families are waiting for you," Shura said, gesturing towards the village. "Go." With that, Shura disappeared in a burst of shadows.

"W-Wait!" a young girl who looked to be about sixteen, with blonde hair, called out to the boy as he disappeared. The girl frowned as her 'hero' had disappeared. However, she then took off towards the village, her fellow villagers running after her.

"EVERYONE! WE'RE BACK!" the young teenage girl called out. The members of Truffle Village were all rudely awakened by the sudden shouting and screaming below and couldn't believe their eyes when they saw the kidnapped people had returned safely.

"ILLIANA!" Matt the bartender yelled, running out of his pub to embrace his younger sister. "H-How?"

"It was awesome nii-san! We were all trapped and stuff, but then this red-eyed kid wearing a cloak came out of nowhere, and then he started beating up all the members of the Dark Claw guild. He was bending blood, Matt. It was sooo cool," she said with a dreamy look in her eyes. Matt chuckled and was about to refute his sister when he began to hear the other victims of the kidnapping beginning to praise their saviour.

"Well what do you know?" Rick spoke. "The brat actually did it."

"I know. It was amazing," one of the kidnapped people replied. "He controlled the blood of the Dark Claw members as if he were its master. L-Like a vampire!"

"At this point, I'm willing to believe anything," Matt replied, shaking his head while he chuckled.

"I couldn't believe my eyes when that kid killed everyone without so much as batting an eyelash," a woman told her friend.

"We should thank him!" a villager yelled.

"He already disappeared," another villager disputed.

"Well if he left, then we should at least honour him with a name," a female villager spoke. The villagers all agreed to the idea and began to call out random titles before one was uttered by Matt.

"How about... the Blood-dimmed King?" the bartender suggested. The other villagers went silent, before nodding.

"A fitting name," Illiana agreed. "He controlled blood like a master. And practically dominated the entire guild, like some sort of king." The other villagers nodded in agreement, liking the name.

Shura stood atop one of the buildings of the village, having heard the name. He hummed. "Given my circumstances, I wouldn't consider myself as a king... but it does sound cool," he muttered. He smiled, his cloak billowing in the wind. He turned away, disappearing in a burst of shadows.

**XXX**

_(Two days later, Magical Council - Fiore Branch Meeting)_

The Magic Council is the main ruling body in the entire world of Magic. It comprises of council buildings stationed all over the continent in order to maintain order throughout the lands. The Council rules over all legal guilds and have the ability to punish every and all mages who break the laws they have made. When a mage commits the act of killing or something illegal, that mage is labeled as a dark mage and if the guild refuses to disband, the guild is labelled as a Dark Guild. The Magic Council consists of eight members who make the decisions as to what happens in Earthland and are the ones who bring about the formation of laws and what guilds should be disbanded and whatnot.

The first member of the council, as well as its second seat was an elderly man named Org. Org was a tall old man with a large grey beard, moustache and long grey hair. He had tanned skin and wore a cream robe-like set of clothing with a red line going down the middle of the robe. Over the robe, Org wore a dark blue and white cloak, the white taking up the majority of the cloak's surface area. A gold trim separated the white from the blue. The collar of the cloak was rather high and dark blue with a green area near the end of the collar and separated from the blue area by a vertical white line. A pair of black pants and brown shoes were shielded by the large cloak. Org had black eyes, but strangely had only one eye open while the other was tightly shut. Atop his head was a red devil-like sort of creature.

Another member of the council is Leigi. He is a tall, middle-aged man with black hair that has huge sideburns that almost touch his lips. His eyes are covered by dark coloured shades. He had thin, yet large lips and small hairs were scattered along his chin. His outfit consisted of a white and blue robe, with the hood of the robe being put up. He wore a dark purple, V-neck shirt beneath the robe and a pair of black pants and brown shoes.

The third member of the Magic Council was an old man of very small stature, who went by the name of Michello. He had short brown hair, but some tufts of hair seemed to styled into the shape of sharp triangles, similar to cat ears. A long, brown moustache lined his upper lip. His beady brown eyes were currently looking over his fellow council members. Michello wore a long sleeved, blue t-shirt with black tiger stripes along the sleeves and the back of the t-shirt. He wore a pair of black pants and large brown shoes. A long, yellowish tail of some sort, swished behind him making his appearance all the more cat-like. A T-shaped cane was held in his hands.

Shitou Yajima was next member. He was a small, old man who sported no hair on his head. He had a large pair of eyebrows and a small moustache that were both a pale brown colour. His eyes seemed to be in an ever closed position, but when opened it revealed the beady black irises within. He wore a pair of dark brown pants beneath a white kilt of some sort. An orange, long sleeved sweater with black, vertical stripes on it, was worn as to cover his upper body. Atop his head was a reddish-violet hat with three spikes at the front part of the hat.

Belino, the eldest female member of the Magic Council, was an elderly woman with dark blonde hair that framed her face. The back of her hair was tied up to form multiple tails in the shape of flower petals. These 'tails' were positioned in such a way, it gave her hair the appearance of a lion's mane or a sunflower. Like other members of the Council, she had black irises. She wore red lipstick and red nail polish and had a slightly long nose thus giving her a witch-like appearance. She wore a purple turtle-neck sweater with black, vertical stripes, but her impressive bust still revealed itself. She wore a long black skirt and a pair of black, flat-heeled shoes. Her cloak was a dark violet colour with white lining along the length of the cloak from the tip of the collar to the hem. Her cloak was held by a golden cord which had six golden rectangular objects strung along it.

The only other female member of the Magic Council's Fiore Branch was a beautiful pale-skinned woman with dark purple hair that stretched down to her mid-back, but it was currently tied into a single ponytail. She had on red lipstick as well. Her clothes consisted of a white, kimono-like outfit that stopped just above her knees and which showed her voluptuous figure despite it being a rather loose fitting set of clothing. A yellow sash was worn around her waist. Her dark brown eyes held a hint of mischief in them as she watched over her fellow council members and in her hand, she tossed a teal-coloured lacrima up and down in her hands. This was Ultear Milkovich.

The final member of the Magic Council was a young man with deep blue hair and had a red tattoo which was made of two separate marking above and below his right eye. He had slightly pale skin and wore an elegant yet simple set of robes; consisting of a long white tunic with black stripes across the edges and on the upper part of the arms, a decorated collar, large straps connected to decorated buckles, closing the inducement on the front over a dark shirt, and matching pants and shoes. He also sported a ring on his right hand's middle finger. Hidden by his jacket collar, the man wore a circular medallion, which was dark blue and lined with silver. In the centre of the medallion was a silver, cross-shaped symbol with two silver diamond-like shapes in between the spaces of the cross. Near the intersection of the silver cross, there was a small silver circle with a single silver petal placed within each quarter of the circle. This medallion revealed the man to be one of the Ten Wizard Saints. This was Siegrain.

In the space before them was an amphibious member of the Magic Council, who looked like a frog. The bipedal frog panted as he clutched his knees, trying to catch his breath. He had run in, alarmed. The council members waited patiently for the staff member to recover before he stood back up.

"Org-sama... I bring news of the dark guild, Dark Claw!" he announced. The council gained serious looks on their faces. Dark Claw was always a very problematic guild. Their guild members had gone on illegal requests, requests that demanded the act of killing and assassination. They had been found out one year ago when a platoon of Rune Knight had been wandering Truffle Village and saw them drag a man into an ally and slit his throat before trying to make a break for it, only to be caught. Since then, they had been taking many security precautions to prevent from being taken down by the Magic Council.

"What about them?" Ultear asked curiously. The frog took out a lacrima from his pocket and laid it out on the floor in the centre of the council room. He placed his webbed hand on top of it and pumped a small bit of magic power into it. The lacrima took on an electric blue glow before a similarly coloured magic seal appeared above it and a holographic image of a destroyed and ruined forest was shown, with what looked like a guild building cleanly cut in half.

"This image was taken by the Rune Knights stationed by Truffle Village, where Dark Claw had been stationed," he explained.

"Okay, so it's a destroyed forest... probably done by one of the beasts in the forests or maybe a member of Fairy Tail. They have been known for their destructive tendencies," Leigi said. The staff member shook his head.

"Ummm actually... this is... or was... the place where the Dark Claw guild was stationed." The Council Members' eyes widened at that.

"Are you sure?" Org asked, eyes narrowed in confusion and curiosity.

"Yes, Org-sama. We just heard that the citizens of Truffle Village who were kidnapped by the criminals stated they were freed and the criminals were... 'dealt with' and this was all that remained. They said this was done by a single mage."

"A single mage did all that?" Belino gaped.

"Such power... you are certain of this information?" Yajima asked with a serious tone.

"The Rune Knights interviewed every single one of the kidnapped citizens and they all have the same story. A single mage - about fifteen years of age - with extraordinary blood magic abilities came in and took down the whole guild by himself. He slaughtered the entirety of them and then sliced the guild in half," the staff member said. Silence filled the council room as they watched the image.

Ultear smirked. _Master Hades would very much like to have a mage like that in Grimoire Heart._

"Do you know the name of this mage? Does he have any other abilities?" Leigi asked. The staff member thought for a moment.

"They say, as I have mentioned before, the mage was a male and had great skill with blood magic. Even going so far as to be able to bend it with no physical movement. He is said to have dark skin, crimson red eyes, and wore a black cloak." The amphibian staff member looked to see if the council members were still listening and found their eyes still trained on him.

"They call him...the Blood-dimmed King," the staff member concluded before picking up the Image Lacrima and the image of the destroyed Dark Claw guild vanished in a blue magic seal. The staff member watched the Magic Council with a few beads of sweat forming on his brow as he suddenly felt the tension in the room.

"Is that all?" Michello asked. The staff member nodded before he was dismissed by the council and he immediately, and quickly, left the room. As soon as the door slammed shut, Org spoke.

"It seems that we have a bit of a vigilante here in Fiore," he said.

"He's a criminal!" Michello spoke, his tail swishing behind him. "He has killed mages and thus has committed a felony. The Blood-dimmed King must be put down before it escalates into him attacking legal guilds."

"Michello has a point." Belino stated, in thought. "However, if we are able to bring the Blood-dimmed King over to us... we can possibly make a weapon out of him."

"But that goes against everything we stand for! Equality, fairness and that includes granting independence to those who have it!" Yajima said strongly. They all looked at him with a frown. The old man did have a point.

"Yajima is right," Siegrain said. "If we go after this man just for the sake of turning him into a weapon, there might be a chance that he will rebel. And with the power he has at his disposal... from what that staff member showed us, he would easily be able to take down many of those who stand in his way and he is not against taking a life."

"Even if we go through with this plan," Ultear stated, "we would still need to find him."

"Dark skin and crimson eyes should be distinct enough for people to find him," Org stated.

"Get the Rune Knights in Truffle Village to give us an accurate description of the Blood-dimmed King. We will then have one of our sketch artists draw this man from the description and then we will use it to find him. Deploy whatever available squadrons we have and we will find him and bring this man to justice," Michello spoke with an orderly tone. The council members looked amongst one another.

"It's a start," Siegrain shrugged. Org nodded.

"I concur. Very well, Michello. We will go along with your plan." Taking a deep breath, Org yelled, "RALLY THE RUNE KNIGHTS!"

"AYE!" was the simultaneous cry of agreement.

**XXX**

Shura was travelling to Clover Town, having recovered something from the now destroyed Dark Claw guild that caught his attention. Apparently, there was a mysterious mage named Godot**(1)**, who was an old, wise magesmith. He could create any magical weapon, along with dozens of magic spells that were said to be deemed forbidden by the Magic Council. Shura didn't know how they had come across this information, but he didn't care.

The exact details weren't clear, but it was said he was around the shady parts of Clover Town, deep underground. So he was going to go there to see if there were any weapons or magic that he could recover.

As he walked, Shura spied a couple of Rune Knights putting up a poster. Curious, Shura walked up to it once he saw that they were gone. Looking at it, his eyes widened as he saw the poster.

"No way," he muttered, staring at the poster in shock. It was a wanted poster of him, with an accurate drawing of himself. Thankfully, his cloak didn't reveal too much of his face, only his eyes. He read the description below.

_Wanted: the Blood-dimmed King. Said to have dark skin, crimson eyes, and wears a ragged black cloak. Looks about fifteen in age. Abilities include high levels of physical combat, speed, strength and endurance. Has mastery over blood magic._

"Just fucking great," Shura mumbled, quickly melding to a shadow and sinking into it. He remembered the people of Truffle Village talking. "I just had to kill a bunch of dark guild members," he muttered, moving around the town. "I do the Magic Council a favour, and what do I get? This! Now, it'll be even harder to travel without drawing too much attention."

As he skulked in the shadows, looking for Godot's entrance, he overheard some people talking, a poster of him in their hands.

"Dude, this guy is doing Fiore a favour. I mean, he got rid of a dark guild."

"Yeah, but who is to say he's a wanted criminal himself. Even if we've now heard of him, this Blood-dimmed King could be a serial killer or an assassin or something who goes after guilds and destroys them."

"Dark Claw were a bunch of lowlifes who stoles, raped and killed. It's about time somebody stopped them."

"But this guys is said to have outright murdered them. Whose to say he won't come after us next?"

Shura continued to listen to their opinions as he searched. _Well, at least some _sensible _people are actually agreeing with me,_ Shura thought to himself. _Not that I care, but it feels nice. And of course, there are people who disagree. But enough about that. Need to find the entrance... Aha!_

Shura managed to sink into the alleyways of Clover Town, seeing a sewer opening. Grimacing, he crept into the tight space, his shadow form spilling inside easily. Shura turned back into his physical form, landing in a crouch in sewer water.

"After everything I've experienced," Shura commented, moving through the water, "this actually isn't the worst. Still, disgusting." Shura created a dark platform that he easily hopped onto, floating across the water. As he sailed, Shura tried to sense any underlying magic around, seeing if Godot was nearby or not. After a twenty minutes of nothing, Shura was ready to rip his hair out. Growling, he let out a pulse of darkness that connected with the nearby walls, almost shattering them.

"I knew this was a waste of time," Shura muttered. He was about to leave when he noticed something. One section of the wall seemed to have survived his blast. Although it was slightly crumbled, it definitely looked more durable than the normal walls in the sewer.

Humming, Shura got off his raft and walked towards the section. Curious, he reared his fist back and punched the wall slightly. It crumbled easily, allowing him to see an entrance leading somewhere. He smirked. "Guess that information was true."

Walking through the entrance, Shura made his way inside, closing his eyes at the feeling of the darkness surrounding him. As he walked, he surrendered his senses to the dark. He trusted it, controlled it even. It listened to his command where ever he went, as was his only solace while inside the Void. While he hated how he got his powers, he couldn't deny that they each had benefits.

Shura kept walking, eventually crossing into a complicated maze. Each pathway had elaborate turns and pathways that would've confused anyone. Sighing, Shura connected with the darkness again, trying to find any source of light or human movement. After finding one that led straight ahead, he grinned. He quickly melded with the shadows, moving quickly along the path that he had discovered.

He reformed himself, seeing a door ahead. He waited a bit, trying to decide how to go about this whole thing. Yet, before he had even touched the door, an elderly voice called out, "Come in."

Stunned, Shura paused for only a moment. But that was enough for the man on the other side to say, "Don't hesitate now. I know you're there."

Frowning, Shura decided to push the door open, stepping inside. Inside, he saw a smith's workshop. There was a large fire that roared over a metal bench. Several tools littered the table, though Shura was able to see many of the runes inscribed onto them. Looking at the rest of the workplace, there were at least a dozen different unfinished projects on different worktables.

The place was small, yet had a comfortable feel to it. Seated near the back was an old man with a surprisingly muscular physique, muscles straining as fiddled with something metal. He had a grey beard, and a balding head. He had crinkles around his face that stretched across his face. He didn't look up as Shura entered, something that both irritated and intrigued him.

The man - who Shura suspected to be Godot - kept on fiddling, making Shura impatient. He had already dealt with all of this mysterious, confusing shit. He was _not _dealing with it again.

"You going to keep playing with your toys, Godot, or are you going to look at me?" Shura snapped, annoyed.

To his annoyance, Godot continued working on the piece of metal in his hands. Just when Shura's fleeing patience was about to make him explode, Godot spoke. "My, my. You really are an impatient young man. So full of anger. Hatred."

He looked up towards Shura, and the half-Etherious was slightly taken aback by the wisdom in the old man's eyes. Wisdom and experience, along with a surprising amount of knowledge.

"You've come to me for guidance," Godot simply said.

Shura nodded, pushing the creepy vibe Godot was giving him. "Yes. I want several weapons and some Lost Magic."

"You know, saying 'please' goes a long way," the old man said.

"If I said so, would you actually give them to me?" Shura asked.

"Yes." The answer was so quick that Shura was almost taken aback. I-It was that simple?

"Then... may I please have some powerful weapons and Lost Magic?" Shura asked Godot.

"No." At his answer, Shura's eyes lit up in rage. "At least... not without an actual reason."

"What do you mean?" Shura asked, anger brimming at the surface.

"Why do you seek those artefacts?" Godot asked, standing up gently and walking towards his forge. He placed a hand on the forge, the flames spilling hungrily over the workbench.

"I seek strength, so that I can gain freedom. In doing so, I gain vengeance," Shura explained to the man, annoyed at all the stalling.

Godot hummed, picking up a small hammer on the table, along with a lump of iron. He started hammering into it, talking as he did so. "Is this 'freedom and vengeance' tied to a particular goddess? Specifically, the goddess of chaos, Nifrit?"

It felt like someone had punched him in the gut. He half-expected the goddess to pop into his mind, but paused, feeling that she was not there.

"Do not worry," Godot assured. "There is magic shielding you from her vision. It's quite useful in warding away pesky spirits."

Eyes wide, Shura looked at the man as he kept on hammering. "H-How do you know about her?"

"Her presence is smothering you. Over your spirit," he explained, the resounding _clang _ringing through the air continuously. "I've dealt with enough gods and demons to know when I see any of their presences around mortals."

Shura was shocked. There was obviously more to this old man than meets the eye. A thought entered his head. "If you know about gods, then there's a chance that you have a weapon to slay them, right?" he asked eagerly.

Godot paused in his hammering, thinking. "I have a few."

"Then, can you give one to me?" Shura asked desperately. "Or give me all? Please." He even went on his knees as he begged. "I-I'm begging you, please! I need them! I-I want to be free, please!"

Godot was silent, frowning in thought. After a while, he opened his eyes. "Tell me, boy. You fight for revenge and freedom, correct?"

"Yes," Shura nodded quickly.

"An interesting duo... however, not usually the best path to take. Do you have anyone close to you?"

Shura immediately thought of Layla and Lucy, and the kindness that they had shown him. Along with the other servants in the Heartfilia household. "Yes. I do."

"Treasure them," Godot said immediately. "Vengeance might be all well and good, but all it does is leave you bitter, broken and hollow. And when you've achieved it, you'll feel nothing but more pain. Pain to fill your heart, for the previous hole inside your heart."

"That's all well and good," Shura retorted, anger in his eyes. "But I have nothing else to live for! My life has just been filled with hatred! I hate Nifrit for resurrecting me for her pride and ego, and then treating me like an immortal slave. I hate the Etherious for destroying my village and experimenting on me! I hate my father for blaming me for the cause of my mother's death! And..." He grit his teeth. "I... hate myself. For being the one to kill my mother. Due to my own magic."

Godot was silent as he continued staring at Shura. "You remind me of someone I've met," he said. "Long ago. He was just like you. He was filled with nothing but pain, anger, sadness and fear. He learned to rely on himself, thinking others weak. He used to struggle day in and day out to live and survive."

Shura was silent as he listened to the old man speak.

"But, I was able to remind him that there was value in relying on others. That having others fight with you wasn't a weakness, but a strength. You may think that you have to take on all your problems all alone, but remember that you should treasure those close to your heart. Let them be the reason you fight, not the fruitless endeavour known as revenge."

Shura was silent as Godot went to the back to retrieve something.

"But, just like him, I know that you won't listen to me, and that you'll insist that you have to be alone. So, I'll see what you can do once you've followed your path, and listened to my words."

Shura looked up as Godot came back, only to gawk at what was in his hands. It was a _giant _sword, which was held easily by Godot. It was long, about over six feet in length, and looked like a heap of raw iron. The blade was silver in colour, with a blood-red colour centred in the middle going down. It had a long, bandaged handle. The sword looked brand new, as if it had just been made. Moreover, it was also extremely sharp.

"W-What... is that?" Shura asked. He didn't know why, but he could feel the amount of raw power contained in the sword.

"This was one of the weapons you were asking about," Godot explained. "This is Dragon Slayer**(2). **A weapon used by the very man I was talking about. It's main purpose is to slay dragons, but over the years, it's seen its fair share of demonic and supernatural blood. It can harm and kill practically anything on the physical and astral plane of existence. Extending to ghosts, demons and _gods._"

Shura looked at the sword, standing up. He went closer to it, inspecting the craftsmanship behind it. He tried to lift it, and struggled quite a bit. Eventually, he had to wrap his right arm with darkness, making it much stronger. He then proceeded to carry Dragon Slayer with much more ease. "Is... is this mine?"

"Yep," Godot nodded. "I think you can use it with more ease and skill than the previous wielder. Though, you'll have to gain a bit more muscle." He gestured towards Shura's darkness-covered arm. "You can take it for a test run. I know a great place where dragons are residing."

Shura blinked, lifting Dragon Slayer up and down. "There are dragons around Fiore?"

"Kid, you'd be surprised if there _wasn't _something lurking around this world." Godot had a small smile on his face. "Now, you want to test that out, or not?"

Shura had a small, growing smile on his face.

**Done! Whoo, me!**

**(1) - Same Godot from Berserk, but modified a bit.**

**(2) - Also the same Berserk. Some elements will be taken from the anime/manga.**

**Hope y'all enjoyed the chapter. Shura got his first encounter with a dark guild, and is now dealing with the consequences. Namely, becoming infamous with the Magic Council.**

**Just know that Shura won't join any guild for a while, if at all. He doesn't like the idea of taking orders from people, as he's craving for his own freedom.**

**Next chapter will reveal a little dragon-hunting and the addition of some elements of a game with a similar genre. You wanna know which one, just wait and see.**

**Guest Review time!**

**1) Thanks. I'm glad you like the fic. I just like putting different stuff.**

**2) Right, it was the same complaints that I had while watching the anime and manga. And yeah, Natsu will get with Lisanna.**

**Hope y'all enjoy the story. Thanks to all those who f,f,r and r the story. Luv the support.**

**Thanks! Read and Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

"Glad I used Requip for Dragon Slayer," Shura muttered, walking along a forest path. "I could never carry that thing around."

Shura was on his way to Crocus through the night, having been told by Godot that there was a hidden dragon graveyard that led to a secret den for dragons. It was unlikely that he was to encounter any strong dragons, he'd been told, but the chances of there being dragons was likely, something that Shura mentally grinned at.

He didn't know what it was - maybe his Blood Magic - but he had developed a love for fighting, at least spilling blood. Dark Claw seemed to have sated his hunger and lust for battle, but he was itching for a fight. Fighting dragons? They were bound to give him a challenge.

"After all," Shura muttered to himself, "if I can't slay a bunch of flying lizards, I have no hope of slaying a god."

Frowning, Shura jumped away, dodging a fire spell fired at him. Landing on the ground, he saw that he was suddenly surrounded. A group of ten people had appeared, all dressed in black. Black cloaks were worn over their skin tight leotards, the hoods kept up to cover their heads. White masks covered their faces. Three of his enemies branded weapons, while the others had colourful magic seals in front of them.

Shura frowned. "You the Council lackeys? Honestly, I expected a couple more days before they decided to send you guys after me."

"We're not from the Magic Council," One of the mages said, making Shura raise an eyebrow. The mage then jumped, sword held high above his head to bring it down on Shura, however he didn't move at all. Tendrils of blood were whipped out, skewering the mage, who let out a scream. His screams were silenced when the blood tendrils expanded and twitched slightly, turning him into a mess of bloody chunks, his body exploding.

The mages tried to run away, moving from Shura's line of sight. But he could still feel them. Their blood. He didn't know exactly what the blood ritual he had performed had done to his body, but his senses had somewhat sharpened. He could feel their heartbeats, the blood rushing through their bodies. He may not be able to control their blood through their bodies, but he could still hear it.

Blood rose from his gourds as he controlled them. It all rose, heading specifically for the heartbeats of each mage. One pierced through one's chest, killing him instantly. Others copied the same action, draining the blood from their victims. One got more creative, slicing off the heads of its foes. Pretty soon, all of them were dead. Each mass of blood absorbed the stray blood from his opponents, absorbing it all.

Shura frowned as he heard clapping, his blood immediately rising in defence for him. He watched as the figure who was clapping stopped short of the area of the moonlight, leaving the figure's body and face hidden by the shadows.

"Who are you?" Shura growled, guard not dropping. The figure chuckled as he kept his eyes on Shura.

"I've heard about your deeds in Truffle Village, Blood-dimmed King," the figure said, reaching into his cloak. Shura immediately fired a small bullet of blood that travelled at fast speeds. The figure jumped to the side, avoiding the bloody projectile. He smirked.

"So the stories are true... you do hold power beyond that of a regular mage," he hummed. He then dashed towards Shura, fist raised. As he approached, his fist immediately connected with a wall of blood. He immediately backtracked, dodging and ducking between each wave of blood attacks. The figure moved quickly, firing off a bolt of lightning at him.

The blood protected him, but got coagulated, dropping down because it was too heavy. The figure smirked, annoying Shura. "Looks like your magic isn't so invincible after all."

He was about to continue attacking when he saw his henchman rise awkwardly, their movements stiff. Shura's eyes glowed as he looked at the man before him. "Multi-Body Posession," Shura uttered, giving out a silent command. _Kill him._

His possessed minions obeyed, dashing towards the figure at high speeds. "Interesting," he noted, dodging and moving out of his former henchmen's attacks. He sent out a lightning storm at the approaching group, obliterating most of them. The rest kept coming, swiping and scratching at him. Annoyed, the figure did his best to avoid getting ganged up on. A couple of them managed to use the others as meat shields, scratching the figure's body and drawing a small amount of blood.

That was all Shura needed. "Blood-Make: Gáe Bulg: Imperfect Version," he said. A large mass of blood rose, before forming into a giant spear. Positioning it back, he hurled it forward, his eyes glowing red.

Seeing the weapon aimed for him, the figure moved out of the way, seeing the spear tear into Shura's minions and keep on heading towards him. Grunting, he kept on dodging, narrowly avoiding getting skewered.

_A homing projectile_, he thought. _Impressive. _He then headed towards the prone Shura, taking the spear with him. Seeing no sense of surprise on the boy's face, the figure had to quickly move, jumping over Shura. Instead of hitting its caster, the spell continued straight towards the figure, making his eyes widen.

The spear connected into his chest, piercing his body. The figure hit the ground in a heap, dead. Shura kept on looking at the body, scoffing. He made to turn away, when he noted that something was wrong. The blood inside the man was gone.

"Impressive," the figure said behind him, Shura's Violent Fierce God Slicer appearing directly under his chin. "You definitely are no ordinary mage."

"Neat little trick you pulled," Shura commented, growling.

"There's no need for hostility. I want to extend a proposition towards you, Blood-dimmed King." Shura looked at the man, perplexed.

"Not interested," Shura replied.

"But you haven't even given me a chance to-" The man was interrupted as the crimson-obsidian magic sword cut his throat, decapitating him.

"I'm. Not. Interested," Shura repeated, growling. He was then surprised at how the figure faded away, like an illusion.

"My, aren't you the aggressive type," the figure said, appearing by the side. He raised a card in the air and threw it at Shura, who caught it.

"I want you to join my guild. I know you said you're not interested, but just... think about it," the figure offered, before he somehow began to look very... papery. The figure's hood fell back and Shura saw the sclera was pure black. The body suddenly dissolved into dust, dirt and other materials before it fell away to reveal one of the bodies that he had killed earlier before.

"Odd," Shura noted, dismissing his Violent Fierce God Slicer. He then inspected the card given to him by the figure. On it was an address, but as he flipped it around, the card displayed a dark blue symbol that looked like a stylish version of the letter 'R'. The space in the 'R' was made into the shape of a cross. The left side of the 'R' looked like a wing of some sort at the top, while the lower right was lengthened and curved to look like a makeshift tail. Scoffing, Shura ripped the card up, not even bothering with the rest of the details.

"Raven Tail," he muttered, snorting. "Like hell I'm joining his guild. Now, I have to get to Crocus." Humming, he decided on what route to take. He couldn't keep running into these mages who wanted to recruit him. Plus, he had to focus on his goal. What to do, what to do...

Sighing, he decided to meld into the shadows, doing his best to navigate while intangible.

**XXX**

Crocus, the beautiful capital city of Fiore. It was truly a beautiful sight to behold. It was by far the largest in the entirety of Fiore. The sheer size is something that few will ever forget. The city itself was built on the foundation of a valley with several mountains surrounding the town, giving the place a very distinct look to the other cities of Fiore. In the center of the city is the palace of the King of Fiore.

Crocus is known for two huge attractions that bring people year round to the capital. The first are the beautiful flowers that adorn every street and the numerous gardens located around the city. Crocus has such a wonderful reputation for its flowers and gardens that its been given the name of the Flower Blooming Capital. The second great attraction is to the west of the city. The huge stadium known as the Domus Flau.

Shura was planning on going underground, right under the Domus Flau. He was hoping not to draw too much attention, so he had stolen several clothes while Requipping his cloak. He wore a brown trench coat, the collar up to hide his mouth. He then wore a pair of nice-looking sunglasses that had magical shades, hiding his eyes.

"Not perfect, but it'll do," Shura muttered. He then moved through the crowd, careful not to bump into anything. He wasn't planning on interacting with people, so to keep his profile low. He then moved into a crowd of tourists, careful not to linger too long. Using the crowd as a guise, Shura walked along with them towards the stadium, seeing them take pictures with cameras that had lacrimas inserted inside.

Ignoring the tourist guide that was explaining some facts about the Domus Flau, Shura backed away from the crowd, creeping into the shadows. After looking around for a while, he melded with the shadows, sneaking through cracks in the stadium.

Shura fell through, his intangible body seeping through the concrete of the Domus Flau, trying to locate where the graveyard was. His best bet was to go deeper underground and eventually find it. After all, it was a graveyard for dragons. It should be moderately deep underground.

After roughly twenty minutes of burrowing underground, Shura finally fell through open space, quickly turning tangible and landing on the ground in a crouch. He saw that he was in some kind of tunnel. "Looks like this is the place," he muttered, following the path forward. He eventually entered a large opening, his eyes widened upon seeing the sight before him.

"So, the old man was right," Shura muttered, seeing bones standing in front of him. But not just any bones: dragon bones. He could see hundreds of models of bones. Probably thousands.

"Well, if anyone doubted the existence of dragons, here's the proof," Shura muttered, getting a slightly bad vibe from looking at the place. He then inspected the bones. They looked quite old, possibly living down here for centuries.

"As much as I'm amazed, I have a job to do," Shura said to himself, closing his eyes. He then chanted a spell that was perfect for this situation. "Soul Wail!" he yelled, a wave of green magic echoing from his mouth. It spread out across the entire cavern, touching each of the dragon bones. Suddenly, the bones began to shake as the magic reacted. Suddenly wisps of spirits started coming from six of the dragon bones, coalescing into the centre.

The spirits split into six different places. At the extreme left, the spirit took the form of a ghostly dragon. It had jagged scales and a flat skull with a flat nose and a big jaw. Its ears tapered off to one side and had darkened ends. The dragon also had two, long strands of hair on his chin. For his limbs, he had four-fingered claws are complete with dark, shiny talons. On his back, the dragon sported a large pair of wings, and in between said wings lay a row of spikes that travel down his spine.

The dragon next to the jade one was an extremely large, mastodonic dragon, whose near-entire body was covered with large, thick, swirl-patterned scales, save for the underbelly, which was instead lined with porous holes, the face, which has smaller, more smooth scales positioned around the eyes, and the snout, which was completely devoid of scales altogether. Around the dragon's mouth and climbing up its snout it had jagged markings. Additionally, its cavernous mouth was filled with razor sharp teeth, along with extremely large wings; quite proportionate to his already-large body mass. To complete the look, it two front, and back, claws sport five talons each: four in the front, and one in the back. Its long tail is adorned with the same scales as the rest of its body, and the tip is rather peculiar in shape, as it has two large scales protruding from either side.

The dragon next to the massive dragon seemed smaller in comparison, but nevertheless still large. It had a patterned body and a narrow head. Possibly its most defining feature was that he possesses two huge spines that jutted straight from his chin and forehead, curving inwards towards each other, so much so that they almost touch in front of the dragon's mouth. Over the scaled body, its scales have a dark and swirling pattern, which somewhat resembles the pattern found on butterfly wings. Trailing right down the dragon's spine from head to tail was a raised section of scales, which are also found on its legs.

The next dragon to the oddly-shaped one had a body that was extremely huge. It possessed four limbs and a pair of wings. On the chin, it seems to have grown a beard. However, the dragon's most distinct feature is that its body is covered with protuberances resembling fish's fins, having them on the sides of the head, back and even limbs.

The dragon beside it had much darker skin than the others. Its underbelly and jaw, which was filled with very sharp teeth, were white and smooth, with its abdominals in particular being quite muscular. Unlike most dragons, this one had extended digits and a smooth, dark patagium, making its anatomy and method of flight more akin to a bat's. Additionally, there were spikes running down from the dark dragon's spine and onto its tail, which in itself ends in a rippled pattern.

The last dragon was, quite plainly, made of rock. The entirety of its back was covered in large, jagged stones. Its underbelly, on the other hand, wasn't, but was rather rough in appearance. The stones on its face were arranged in a linear fashion around its dark, circular eyes, with his chin jutting out; its wings were also covered in stone. The rock dragon lacked claws, and its feet were flat and instead covered, much like the rest of its body, in stone. Unlike most dragons, this one lacked fangs, and instead has flat, rather blunt, teeth. Its stone-covered tail ended in a club-like fashion.

Shura stared in amazement at the sight before him. Even in spirit form, the dragons still looked somewhat majestic and intimidating. "Amazing," he muttered, looking at the sight before him.

"**What is this?" **the jade dragon questioned, peering down at Shura. "**A baby human? How odd**."

"**Indeed,"** the rock dragon uttered. **"To think that even now, they possess the ability to call upon the dead."**

"Hello," Shura greeted, nodding his head. "My name is Shura. I'm the one who summoned you. May I ask you all a question?"

**"What is it?"/"Not interested."/"Can I eat you?"/"Of course."/"Maybe."/"Okay." **Were the responses he he picked up from the dragons. There was a massive sweatdrop by the side of Shura's head.

_Dragons are... weird. Very weird. _"Okay. Do you know where the sacred dragon land is? The one with dragons and humans reside in?" Shura asked. This was what Godot had told him was hidden in this graveyard, so hopefully, they were willing to tell him.

It didn't go as planned. "**Absolutely not**!" was the resounding shout from all the dragons. They all glared at him as he asked that.

Shura's eyes widened at their combined magic. "What?! Why?!"

"**That land has been sealed off from this world for centuries**," the mastadonic dragon uttered, glaring at him. "**Its residents and Earthland's were not meant to interact with one another."**

"World? Like another dimension?!" Shura exclaimed, shocked at the discovery. He just assumed that it was just some hidden large island. But an entire _world_? He never knew that there was such a thing. Even with all the craziness of Earthland, this was the last thing that he would've expected.

The dragon growled while the bat-like one interjected. "**It does not matter. We will not reveal this knowledge to you. It has been explicitly forbidden for us to reveal that world to the mortals of Earthland."**

Shura growled at the stubbornness of the dragons before him, his previous awe disappearing completely. He didn't care about some forbidden rule, he _had _to get to this hidden world to get the experience he needed, as well as test a certain experiment. "Please," Shura begged, head bowed slightly. "I am in desperate need of help. What I desire is strength for my freedom. I need this strength to live my life, free from the shackles placed on me by a cruel master. I _need _to know the location!"

"**I am sorry**," the jade dragon responded sadly. "**But we cannot. It is forbidden. You will have to go elsewhere for strength.**"

Shura clenched his fist tightly, almost drawing blood. His crimson eyes narrowed behind his sunglasses. That was it! He wasn't going to allow some geckos to tell him what he could and couldn't do. He wanted power and he'd gain it _now._ "Fine. Then you leave me with no choice. Soul Assimilation."

The spell intoned bathed Shura with a pale, ethereal light. His crimson eyes burned as he stared at the dragons. He held his body out towards the dragons, hands stretched out.

"**W-What are you doing?!" **the dragon with the bearded chin exclaimed, feeling its spirit being absorbed. The rest of the dragons were alarmed, seeing some of their essence being drawn towards Shura.

"You gave me no choice," Shura muttered, his voice monotone. "I'm sorry, but if you're not going to give me the answers I need, I'll just take them."

"**You can't do this!**" the dragon with the scissor-like head bellowed, trying to free itself. Alas, both it and the other dragons could do nothing. As powerful as they were, they were still spirits with no physical form. They couldn't fight back.

"Yes. Yes, I can," Shura muttered. One by one, the dragon's spirit was being sucked into him. First it was the jade dragon, who entered his body. Then, it was the mastadonic one, followed by the bat-like dragon, the dragon with the chin hair, the scissor-headed dragon, and then finally, the earth dragon.

Everything was silent for a minute, Shura frowning. He... he didn't feel anything. Wasn't something supposed to happen when you absorbed souls? He had never absorbed a human soul, but a dragon soul should definitely-

The God Slayer paused as his eyes widened to large proportions. His heartbeat started to increase rapidly. His body shook, with nerves or pain, it was unclear. But the biggest change... was his magic.

Shura yelled to the sky as his eyes went wide. His magic shot up like a pillar, changing and shifting between different colours. From jade, to a pale colour, to black, to brown, to dark blue, to crimson with a tint of black, grey. He roared, the increase to the absorption of six dragon souls making him feel _invincible_. A powerful shockwave shook the room, rattling a few dragon bones and making some collapse.

The pillar of magic shot up through the stadium above, shooting upwards in the sky of Crocus, making everyone look at it. It was visible to many mages, whose eyes widened at the amount of pure raw magic shooting up in the sky. Almost every mage from different places - the Magic Council, Phantom Lord, Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, Fairy Tail, Raven Tail, Oracion Seis, Grimoire Heart - could practically see the amount of magic being released into the sky. Many mages were stunned and horrified of the amount of magic, fearing that it was either an _extremely _powerful mage, or a battalion of mages.

Deep in an unknown forest, a large, intimidating black dragon slept in a cave. A pale, pupil-less eye opened sharply, feeling the amount of magic. "**What's this?" **it muttered, confused. **"I sense five, no. _Six _dragons in that direction. But that's impossible! The only dragons around are those weaklings inside those Dragon Slayers!"**

The beam of light continued to shoot upwards, before it slowly began to dissipate. It slowly stopped, as the epicentre started to become visible. Shura panted, his body coated with sweat. He panted harshly, feeling his magic.

"H-Holy shit!" Shura exclaimed, stunned. He knew that absorbing dragon souls would make him powerful, but he never expected to be _this _powerful. "I-Insane. G-Guess those l-lizards were really powerful." Narrowing his eyes, he could feel that his magic was out of control, literally leaking off of his body. He could even _feel _the souls of the dragons he had absorbed inside his body, accessible to him anytime.

And with those souls came names. Memories. Shura grunted as he held his head, going over the information in his head. Zirconis, Motherglare, Scissor Runner, Levia, Umbra**(1)**, Terran**(2)**. Information far too vast for his mortal mind to handle. But what he _did _find was the location of the sacred world. Moreover, how to access it.

Shura grunted and groaned, pushing the information he had received to the very, very far corner of his mind as he moaned in pain. He kept on moving towards the spot where he'd enter the world. Just as he was about to continue, a familiar, dreaded voice stopped him cold.

_'What are you doing, boy?_' Nifrit spoke in his mind, annoyed.

_'Nifrit,' _he mumbled mentally.

_'_Lady _Nifrit_,' the goddess corrected angrily.

_'M-My mistake,' _Shura growled, continuing on his path.

_'What was that power I felt? And why do I feel different souls connected towards your own__?' _Nifrit demanded.

_'Business,_' Shura replied, stepping forth towards a wall. He was about to place his hand against the wall when he hissed, his body burning in pain.

_'Now listen here, _champion,' Nifrit hissed angrily, the pain almost doubling. _'You will cease this foolish rebellion against me and heel to your master. Your petty vengeance will not get into the way of your duty towards me! I gave you life! I gave you power! I gave you power! You _will _obey your master, you miserable dog!'_

'W-Wrong!' Shura snapped, anger brimming in his eyes. '_You resurrected me against my will, and tortured me,_ _for your own sick amusement. For your ego. Your pathetic need to spread misery for misery's sake, is just that! Pathetic! I will walk my path my way! And you will not stop me!'_

_'How DARE you?!' _Nifrit demanded, Shura howling in pain as he knelt to the ground, clawing at it. '_You miserable little dog! You think that just because you have a little freedom, that means that you can disrespect me! I own you! I own your soul, your life, your body! By every fibre in your body, _I command you to obey!'

Shura roared in pure anger, the cave shaking from the sound of his wrath. His magic was leaking off of him in waves, in response to his rage. _'I-I won't! G-Get out of my head! I already told you... I will not be a slave any longer! I will make sure that you are dead at my feet._' Shura chuckled through the pain. _'It's funny. You've broken my mind. You've broken my body. You've cursed, beaten, tortured, mutilated, and even corrupted me beyond repair. You've made me leave two of the most important people in my life. But there's one thing that still remains. Something that I've preserved throughout my life with you._'

Shura raised his head as he gave a roar of defiance. "MY WILL TO BE FREE!" His magic kept on rising, creating a similar light show to before. He yelled, expelling the goddess from his mind through sheer willpower. His roar kept on rising in volume, similar to that of a dragon. The shockwaves shook the ground above him as many people and mages scrambled away in fear and terror.

Shura recalled his magic, feeling his body strain slightly. Absorbing dragon souls and expelling a goddess from his mind took a lot out of him. He took one of the gourds from his hip, removing the cork to drink it. He sighed in relief, feeling his reserves fill up. His fatigue was still there, but it wasn't too big of an issue.

"Now, to find that entrance," Shura muttered, happy to be free. He was finally free. But not fully. He needed to kill Nifrit before he could properly be free. Walking towards a lone wall, Shura's fingers lit up with multi-coloured flames. He slammed it against a wall, seeing many runes light up in quick succession. "Dragon Seal Magic: Forbidden Form: Release!" he announced, seeing the magic runes being released. Each rune was unknown to him, as even with his skill in Rune Magic, he still couldn't decipher what was on the wall.

But that didn't matter. He placed his hand against the magic circle against the wall. His body was being absorbed into the circle, melding into the surface. Shura only had a moment to reassure himself to be strong, before his vision went dark.

**XXX**

After what felt like hours but was likely minutes at most, Shura found himself able to see once more, and what a sight it was! It was world eternally stuck in twilight, a seemingly endless garden of roses, breathtaking vistas brimming with waterfalls and majestic trees where the wind and rain carry heady perfumes, and the colours blurred. And before him was a beautiful woman dressed in a flowing nearly see-through black dress with pale skin, which was an almost glowing purple. Her blonde hair kept falling about her long ears and slim shoulders, her crimson eyes sparkling with interest.

"**Well, now**," she remarked as she began to circle him, examining him fully. Shura felt himself shiver at the look in her eyes. Whoever she was, this woman was powerful. Monstrously powerful. He hadn't felt such power since he'd been in the presence of Nifrit. "**You are not of Nirn**."

Nirn. Mundus. Suddenly, memories started to flood Shura's mind. Memories that definitely belonged the dragons whose souls he'd absorbed. Dragonborn. Dovahhkiin.

**"Who are you, child, and how did you come to be in Moonshadow?" **the powerful woman asked, breaking Shura from his thoughts.

"It's a long story," Shura said, feeling ease that he knew that he shouldn't be feeling.

"**I am willing to listen,"** the woman, who he was quite certain was Azura, the Daedric Prince of Dusk and Dawn.

"I have travelled here, using a seal that the dragons of my world created to separate the two worlds," Shura explained. More memories came to his mind, especially the purpose of the Dragonborn. "If needed, I can go to Skyrim and slay Alduin."

**"I fail to see why you would be in Moonshadow if your business is in Nirn,"** Azura remarked.

"It likely has to do with your domain over Change in this world," Shura explained, happy at the fact that he had the memories of the dragons to rely on. Made things _so _much easier.

**"I see where this is going,**" Azura chuckled. **"While you certainly seem to bear a strong affinity for dragons, you aren't a Dragonborn. However, you can be considered... a substitute. Still, why should I help you?"**

Shura wracked his brain, trying to think of an answer to help him. Eventually, a simple, easy idea came to mind. "Because without a Dragonborn, Alduin will destroy your world?" Shura offered.

**"Was that a threat, child?" **Azura whispered, her crimson eyes narrowed dangerously.

"No!" Shura immediately denied. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. "I only speak the truth. Alduin will eventually destroy your world. If I can slay him, I will be able to gain strength through this world. We both benefit from this."

**"I see," **Azula muttered, frowning. Shura held his breath, hoping that she would not immediately kill him. A minute had passed. Two minutes. Three. Finally...

**"Very well, I suppose it would be in my best interest to cooperate," **Azura admitted.

Shura sighed in relief, making the Daedric Prince look amused. **"I will unable to turn you into a Dovahkiin by myself, however."**

"Yeah, I believe that's Akatosh's domain," Shura agreed, thanking every benevolent god out there for allowing him to live.

**"Indeed," **Azura nodded. Azura looked away and turned towards a rip in space that appeared and began to grow until a massive golden scaled dragon with glowing golden eyes emerged to gaze upon them. Shura gasped, seeing that the dragon was more majestic than the ones he had seen back on Earthland. **"Greetings, Akatosh."**

"**Azura," **Akatosh spoke, the word sounding like a mix between a human voice, and a dragon's roar. **"You have something of mine."**

**"He is not yours quite yet. And you will need _my _****help to make him so," **Azura remarked, smirking.

"**You dare?!" **Akatosh roared, infuriated.

"**We would not be in this situation had to kept a better hold on your son,"** Azura shot back.

"**It was the Daedra that corrupted him!" **Akatosh retorted.

"**So you say… but in truth you know it was due to your poor parenting skills," **Azura told him.

"Excuse me!" Shura yelled, annoyed at being ignored. The two turned towards him. "Can you please just help turn me into a Dragonborn?! Then you two can bicker with each other later!"

**"Very well," **Akatosh growled. He turned his attention fully to Shura, looking deep into him.

**"Hm, you already seem to have more potential as a Dov then most mortals, though you are not one are you?,"** he commented. **"The smell of chaos, blood and shadows surrounds you. You even bear the scent of a Divine, as well as have a signature similar to the Kamal… Hmm, you are worthy. I, Akatosh, hereby claim you as my son in spirit, as the Dovahkiin!"**

With that, Akatosh seemed to breath a golden and green mist over Shura. This was followed by Azura, who poured her own indigo magic into the mix, causing the mass of magic to be drawn into Shura's body and merge with him. As that happened, Shura felt within his mind instincts that he did not know he had awakening, roaring their presence and sending shudders through him. The dragon souls resonated with him, roaring in agreement with himself.

**"It is done," **Azura announced. **"It is time for you to go, child. And while you are in Nirn, seek out my Shrines. I have need of a champion and you will fill that role with ease."**

"I am already someone's champion," Shura spoke with distaste and loathing. "I'm in no mood to become someone else's."

Azura looked annoyed, but reluctantly nodded.

**"Indeed, go now to the lands of the north," **Akatosh spoke, before a dark smirk seemed to appear on his maw.** "And while you are there, make sure to remind those pesky elves not to take dragons lightly. I name you Dovkhan, Dragon of the North. Go forth and do not shame the name of the Dovah!"**

Shura grinned slightly, feeling the souls within him. Smirking, he shouted. "Take-Over: Dragon Soul! Motherglare!" With a burst of magic, Shura's form became visible. His features had become draconic, having the same features as Motherglare, but fit to his features. **(A.N. - Think of Natsu's Dragon Force in the Tower of Heaven, only with pale scales and blank eyes, as well as the added features). **

In a familiar swirl of colours, he disappeared.

**XXX**

_(Skyrim, near Helgen)_

Shura landed on the ground with a BOOM, making those around him fall off their feet and land in a heap. With a wave of his new tail, Shura cleared the smoke, inspecting his form. "This... this is amazing," he noted, inspecting his features.

"Halt! State your business!" an Imperial soldier yelled, brandishing a spear in his hands. Shura turned to look at him, annoyance on his features. He growled, scaring the soldier, criminals and the rebels of the Stormcloak.

"Stand down, monster!" a female Captain yelled, glaring daggers at Shura.

"C-Captain, h-he looks like a dragon," the soldier stated beside her, shaking in fear.

"I don't care!" she yelled, taking the spear out of his hands and pointing it at Shura, who raised an eyebrow. "Really?" he muttered. Releasing his wings from his back, causing a gust of wind to pick up and knock the others back.

The familiar dragon's roar was heard. Shura couldn't help but smirk. He held his hand out, summoning Dragon Slayer to his hand. With his new draconic strength, he was able to hold the sword easily, though he did feel slightly uneasy about holding it.

"What was that?" the soldier with the list looked around. He looked both fearful of Shura and his sword and surprised at the sound.

Alduin seemed to make his appearance on top of the tower that was shadowing the execution grounds. He was a gigantic dragon, with a fearsome appearance to match.

"**Mahfil - Mah - Strun!" ** Alduin Shouted, and the sky both darkened and burned as flaming meteors pierced the clouds and began falling around him, beginning the destruction of Helgen. Shura memorised the words, planning to use them. He technically qualified as a Dragonborn, and had six dragon souls. Although, they were from a different world, so... He shook his head, focusing. He dodged each meteor, bringing up Dragon Slayer to slice one incoming in half. Surprisingly, he felt no struggle at all wielding the blade, making him grin. He then proceeded to cut more incoming meteors.

"**Fus - Ro - Dah!" **Alduin Shouted, the _**Unrelenting Force **_sending a massive blast of pure Force into the ground, blasting Shura off his feet despite having distanced himself. Seeing the prisoners and criminal evacuate themselves, Shura decided to test himself out. He wasn't a full-on dragon, and he didn't know why. Maybe because he wasn't fully developed as a Take-Over Mage. Whatever it was, he didn't know. But he was still going to fight.

Roaring, Shura flew towards Alduin, who turned towards him. The dragon was prepared to fire off another Shout, but Shura was faster. He raised Dragon Slayer and sliced at Alduin's side, drawing blood quickly. The World Eater roared, the very earth itself shaking in response. Alduin then raised his claw and backhanded Shura away, who flew backwards and breakneck speeds. He grunted, feeling his scales somewhat protect him from the powerful blow. He hit the ground, skidding as snow and ground flew behind him. He came to a stop, gasping in shock and slight pain. Shura coughed, feeling like something broke.

"Note to self... Don't do something that... stupid, again," he muttered to himself, getting up. Thankfully, he still had Dragon Slayer in his grasp. He saw that Alduin was setting fire to the building that the others were residing in.

Shura growled, hating being ignored. He didn't know why, but he felt far more aggressive, more violent-prone. He figured that it was due to the change in attitude whenever he did a Take-Over. His attributes slightly changed when he did so. Flexing his wings, he flew up in the air, gaining a good height. Then, he dropped down, falling directly towards Alduin. At the last minute, he changed form. "Take-Over: Dragon Soul! Terran!"

He transformed into the Earth Dragon, his features becoming bulky and heavy. His feet slammed into Alduin's face. While it didn't do much damage, it _did _get his attention. Alduin roared, throwing his flaming breath towards Shura, who crossed his arms. He had dived into the memories available, and found that Terran was the best at defence out of the six dragons. The dragon fire hit him, making him growl as his body was feeling unnaturally warm, but more of a good warmth. Like, standing too close to a furnace.

After a while, the blast of fire was dismissed, Alduin showing slight surprise on his face as he stared at Shura, who uncrossed his arms. Growling, Alduin Shouted, "**Yol - Toor -Shul!" **Another blast of dragon fire was aimed at him. Instead of taking it again, Shura decided to use his own Shout. Remembering the words Alduin used, as well as using the magic given to him by Akatosh, he Shouted, "**Fus - Ro - Dah**!"

The **_Unrelenting Force_ **blasted the dragon fire away, making them part. The blast of pure Force slammed into Alduin, though it did little to damage him. Snarling in annoyance, the World Eater flapped his wings and flew up high into the air, looking like he was going to prepare another Shout. "**Fo - Kran - Diin**!" A frozen blast of power was unleashed from his maw.

_Frost, Cold and Freeze_, Shura mentally translated, prepping himself for another Shout of his own. _Then... Fire, Inferno and Sun! _"**Yol - Toor - Shul!"** he Shouted, releasing his own dragon fire. Though - either due to his affinity to Earth in this form or the fact that he was inexperienced - the blast was weak. It did its job, though. The two elemental attacks collided in a burst of small steam. Some frost did manage to reach him, but his defence managed to hold.

Shura looked up, his sharp eyesight seeing Alduin fly away. He clicked his teeth, growling. His pride had somewhat been damaged, but his common sense kicked in, and he relaxed. It was likely that if the two had continued fighting, Shura would lose. If he had gone all out, he wouldn't know the full outcome. Now, he could gain more strength and take on Alduin later.

He dismissed his Take-Over and placed Dragon Slayer in his Requip space, Shura decided to run into the tower he had seen the Imperial soldier and Captain go into. He hadn't even gotten halfway before a sword flew at him. He dodged, seeing that the Imperial soldier was the one to swing at him. Shura glared at him. "Really?"

"S-Sorry," he apologised, sword shaking. "I - You looked... different, than what you did before."

"That was Magicka," Shura informed him.

"Oh. Well, thank you for driving off the dragon." He shook his head. "Still can't believe that the legends were true... my name is Hadvar. Gunnar, take care of any stragglers. I have to meet with General Tullius."

Another soldier responded to Hadvar's command. He then gestured towards Shura. "You're with me." The two then made their way up the stairs, before his eyes came upon a familiar figure. The two stopped, Hadvar growling. "Ralof! Out of my way, you damned traitor!"

"We're escaping, Hadvar. You're not stopping us this time!" Ralof grinned, before running off.

"Fine. I hope go to Sovngarde!" Hadvar spat, before glancing at Shura. "Come on! We need to get inside!" He led the way to the keep. Shura closed the two, Hadvar feeling suddenly exhausted. He leaned against the wall, feeling slight fear. "That... that really was a dragon. Were the legends true?"

"The proof is the destruction outside," Shura supplied, pointing towards the destruction outside.

"Right… no time to waste," Hadvar sighed. "I need to get something for these burns… you look through those chests, there should be a sword and some armour in there."

Indeed, an iron sword was found and soon after, Shura was also wearing some Imperial Light Armor as well as Imperial Light Boots, the Helgen Keep Key safe in a pocket. He didn't know if Nifrit's immortality would extend to another world. And even if it did, he doubted she'd keep him alive after defying her.

In addition, he had also found a small backpack made of leather inside. Making sure that Hadvar wasn't looking, he wrote several Expansion Runes on the backpack, allowing it to hold much more weight than it should. He wasn't going to reveal his Requip Magic to anyone unless he had to, otherwise he'd gain more unwanted attention. This was where he stored his previous clothing.

"Come on, this way!" Hadvar instructed and after raising an iron gate. He led Shura deeper into the keep. However, this was where they encountered more Stormcloaks.

Shura saw that Hadvar at least tried to reason with them… but then again, considering that - minutes before - they were about to be executed, he was not surprised that they did not trust an Imperial soldier and attacked on sight. Which led to each of them being cut down, one by Hadvar while the other by Shura.

It was incredibly easy. Shura didn't even need to try all that much as he cut them down. After taking a good look at them as he looted their corpses, he understood why: the two former prisoners had likely not eaten more than bread, if that much, in days. A dark look appeared in the God Slayer's eyes.

With this piece of evidence that the Imperials were starving their prisoners, Shura strongly decided that he couldn't side with the Imperials in the Civil War. After his own treatment and years of starvation, he felt a kinship with them. After all, since they were set to be executed, why torture them pointlessly?

Shaking his head, he heeded Hadvar's call and followed him downstairs… only for to encounter a collapsed tunnel, likely caused by Alduin's rampage.

"Damn that dragon!" Hadvar spat. "How are we supposed to get through now?!"

"Is there a way around this, or should we go back the way we came?" Shura asked, looking at the only door in sight.

"Yes, this way…," Hadvar pulled the door open and ran inside… where he engaged a couple more Stormcloaks in battle.

Shura sighed. Raising his sword, he killed all of them as they charged, taking one soul from the fallen men. His eyes glowed as he gained the knowledge he had received from the soul. It seemed this soul had the knowledge of a commoner, namely about Skyrim's wildlife.

"Great, a storeroom!" Hadvar smiled as he looked around once he had killed his own opponent. "Grab what you can, we'll need it."

And grab he did. Shura stuffed different kinds of potions, foods, alcohol (Shura found that he quite liked the stuff from his first time drinking) and ingredients. "Ready? Then let's get a move on!" Hadvar urged him and led the way further down, from where sounds of battle were being heard.

They soon found themselves engaged in battle with a few more Stormcloaks, only this time they also had two more people on their side, the Torturer and his Assistant. From the looks of it had not even heard about the dragon attack.

As Hadvar argued with the Torturer, Shura rummaged around. He found a few gold coins and a few more weapons, including an Iron Mace and Shield which he stored away in his rucksack, though he sheathed an Iron Dagger to his belt. He also found a couple more potions on a dead prisoner whose cage he opened with brute strength. He also found a spell book for the spell called 'Spark'.

Shura stored it away, intrigued. He wondered how different spells worked in Skyrim compared to Earthland. "Come on," Hadvar barked, getting Shura's attention. "There may be more Stormcloaks down there."

"And leave my favorite work post? Absolutely not," the Torturer snorted.

"I'll come with you." the Assistant spoke up. "If there are more escaped prisoners down here, then it isn't safe."

"Good, follow me." Hadvar nodded and led Shura and the other young man away.

"There is now way out that way, you know," the Torturer's voice drawled after them.

"I thought you weren't coming with us," Shura snapped at the sadistic old man, annoyed at his mood and profession.

Hadvar continued to lead the way, further down into the bowels of the keep and past the cells. Then up to a portion of the wall that had been blasted away, revealing a larger room with two stairways and a small stream passing on the bottom… where a few more Stormcloaks were waiting.

His patience at an end, Shura commanded the blood in his gourds to rise, speeding forward and killing all of them in a matter of seconds. Shura drew their blood to his gourds, filling them up even more.

"That was... terrifying," the Assistant admitted. "You must have a lot of Magicka in you to pull off that trick. M-Maybe I should go back, look after the old man."

"Fine," Shura waved away. "Hadvar, let's go." Shura made to go with the Imperial soldier, though not before he looted the corpses of the Stormcloak, gathering an Iron Mace, Daggers, along with a longbow and arrows.

"Right, it's this way," Hadvar agreed, leaving the Assitant to go back to the Torturer. "Looks like the way out is up ahead. Let's see if this does the trick…," he muttered as he headed for a lever while Shura eyed the drawbridge at the end of the passage.

Sure enough, the lever did its job and lowered the bridge, allowing the two to pass… only to see their entrance blocked by rubble, possibly from Alduin's roar.

"Damn, no going that way," Hadvar sighed. "Guess we can look for another way out. The others can find their way."

The God Slayer highly doubted that, but decided not to spoil his companion's mood further. As such, they went down into another passage caused by the previous destruction of the dragon, and began following the stream of water that would most likely lead them out.

Much to their displeasure, the way the water flowed was eventually blocked to they had to take a different path, one which unfortunately led to a nest of spiders, large ones at that. Shura simply commanded the nearby shadows to draw closer and crush the spiders - and their eggs - to dust, not even their remains being left.

"Geh, what's next? Giant snakes?" Hadvar spat in annoyance as he pulled off the stray webs that had stuck to his clothes. Sliding down a slope, they found themselves before a small waterfall and were reassured to once again be able to follow the water flow. Until they found themselves face to face with a bear, that is.

Having enough, Shura stomped forward and decapitated the beast, staining the snow with its blood. He then drew the remaining shadows and had the bear be swallowed up, blood and all.

"That's some nifty magic you've got there," Hadvar remarked, rather impressed. "Still, be careful not to show off your magic too much. Nords don't like it much."

"The thing with Winterhold?" Shura asked dryly. "Where they built the city on unstable ground and then blamed it on the mages when it collapsed into the sea?" He scoffed. "Stupid, if you ask me."

With that said, they continued down a few more twist and turns in silence before they finally reached the exit and found themselves under the clear blue sky. "So, where are you headed?" Shura asked, curious.

"Well, the closest town from here is Riverwood. My uncle's a blacksmith there, I'm sure he'll help you out," Hadvar remarked, giving Shura a sympathetic look.

"No thanks," Shura waved away, having enough weapons.

"Well, I need to report to General Tullius," Hadvar grimly replied.

"I doubt many of your group is still alive," Shura noted bluntly, making Hadvar flinch.

"I'm sure he made it out, he had to!" the soldier said firmly, though it appeared he was trying to convince himself more than Shura. "I'm sure I can meet up with him in Solitude."

"Alright, good luck then," Shura nodded.

"You as well. Also, if you like, you could join the Imperial Legion. We can always use more strong young people like you," Hadvar smiled, before taking off in a run.

Shura scoffed, not even bothering to respond. After a while, he wondered which path he should take... well, the best way was possibly the one Hadvar took. At least that was likely to lead to civilization.

With that in mind, Shura followed the same path the soldier did, but at a slower pace. It took him an hour or so, but her reached what he knew to be the three Guardian Stones, specifically, the Warrior, Mage and Thief Stones.

Without hesitation, Shura placed his hand on the Mage Stone and it lit up, shooting a beam of light into the sky while some of the magic seeped into him and settled there.

He was about to leave, when a thought entered his head: why didn't he just try to absorb them all? Placing his hand on top of the Warrior Stone, he saw that nothing happened, making him frown. He hummed, taking the Stone in his hand and examining it. Well, he could feel the magic inside, so why not eat it? He realised that he had the ability to eat magic a while ago. His theory that he had come up with was that all magic was fuelled by emotion (at least in Earthland) as well as intent.

Whenever mages got angry, or sad, or happy, and when converted into magic, can affect the nature of the spell. Magic was considered emotion. It was the fuel as to how magic functioned. Shura found out that he could eat emotions at the Tower of Heaven.

Shura opened his mouth, absorbing the ambient magic in the Warrior Stone, feeling it fill his reserves.

_That meant that he could eat magic._**(3).**

The sheer benefit of that power almost made Shura laugh. Truly, he felt that there were actually gods looking over him. Nifrit was a fool. She had gifted him the one power that made him almost invincible in many cases. Shura finished devouring the magic in the Warrior Stone, doing the same to the Thief Stone.

"Take-Over: Dragon Soul! Levia!" A magical circle enveloped him, giving him the draconic appearance of the mentioned dragon. Spreading his wings, Shura flew up high in the air, flying to the desired location of Riverwood.

Arriving close to sundown, Shura landed, dismissing his Take-Over and heading towards the Riverwood Inn. He made his way inside, using the gold coins he had stolen to get himself a room and a hot meal. After finishing his meal, he went to bed soundly.

**(1) - Random name I chose.**

**(2) - Random name I chose.**

**(3) - My theory as to why Fairy Tail wins a majority of their fights (other than pure 'nakama' bullshit). It makes sense, considering that emotion is practically linked - and therefore key - to most, if not all, magic.**

**Hope y'all enjoyed the chapter. And also hope you liked the surprise I gave.**

**Yes, Shura is in SKYRIM! Man, after playing the game so long ago, I've been nearly obsessed with it. Had it stored in my room for a long while, so I decided to play it. Turns out, my love for it returned. And since it's a world of magic, elves, gods, _dragons, _and other beings, why not place it as another world parallel to Earthland. Similar to Edolas, in a way.**

**I won't have any other characters go over. Just Shura. That'd be a whole different story, with too much work! Dunno how long he'll stay in terms of magic, but I'll see what I can do.**

**Madness soon to be ensued. Dragons to be slayed. Women to be fucked. Blood to be spilled. Words to be Shouted.**

**I'm going to enjoy this arc _immensely... _Ahem.**

**Read and Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

"Excellent! You've come a long way, Shura!" Alvor praised the God Slayer as he presented him with the steel armour he had just finished forging. "You're doing pretty well for a beginner!"

"Thanks," Shura nodded, smiling a little. It had been a while since he had received any praise at all for his deeds, the ordeal with Truffle Village in Earthland not counting. "You're a good teacher."

He had decided to meet up with Hadvar's uncle, Alvor, for some tips in forging. He'd realised by now that he needed to earn some money quickly, as well as help develop more weapons for himself to use.

"Well, I think we should stop for now." Alvor said, his face becoming grim. "I... have a favour to ask of you."

Shura frowned, contemplating if he should follow the request. While he wasn't fond of doing grunt work for people, Alvor had helped him in teaching him how to forge. "Go on."

"I was sure that by now the Jarl or Whiterun will have sent some guards to reinforce Riverwood's defenses, but none have arrived." Alvor said, scowling. "I need you to go straight to the Jarl and request he sent help. Balgruuf and I share some history, if I were to ask, he wouldn't ignore it. However…".

"You can't go yourself. I understand, I'll do it," Shura agreed. "I'll leave tomorrow morning."

"Good man," Alvor thanked, patting his shoulder.

That night, Shura chose to relax rather than train as he had for the past few days with his magic and weapons. He simply sat at one of the tables in the inn and took a sip from his wine every once in a while, having gotten used to the taste. From what he could tell (he had started shamelessly eavesdropping on people, for the simple reason that he was bored), one of Faendal's (who was a Bosmar archer) old flames, an extremely beautiful redhead half-elf named Tamaria Soul-Tamer, had arrived in Riverwood as they had agreed a while back, only to find that her lover was head over heels for another woman, a human at that.

Shura didn't think of himself as a professional in the matters of the opposite sex, but even he could tell that Faendal had made a rather stupid choice. While he would admit that Camilla Valerius was quite pretty, there was absolutely no contest with the exotic Tamaria. After all, while the half-elf was a bit lewd and had some anger issues, she at least wasn't a wallflower like Camilla. The fact that Sven was also lusting after Camilla only made things worse. Shura just laughed at the entire thing, glad that he didn't have to deal with stuff like this.

Of course, his amusement died down later that night when a drunk Tamaria publically dumped Faendal before deciding that she would leave town with the only person within reach. Which just so happened to be Shura, whom she pulled and tried to crush against her chest. Thankfully, she had taken off her armour so rather than smash against steel, he found his face pleasantly squished between her bountiful breasts as she only wore what appeared to be a skimpy leather bra under her armour.

_So soft, _Shura mentally thought to himself, blushing madly. It took him a bit of effort to get out of her grip – partly due to his hesitance since she did not appear to mind letting him fondle her breasts which he did quite a bit of during his attempts to free himself (by accident!) – but eventually he managed it and carefully retreated to his room.

Shura sat down on the bed, recalling the experience. His face heated up to massive proportions as he remembered the soft sensations of Tamaria's breasts.

_Damn, _he mentally thought to himself. _That was amazing. Too bad nothing like that's going to happen again._

As if to punish (or bless, really) he had just fallen asleep when his door slammed open and a drowsy Tamaria strode in, tossing pieces of her armour as she walked in, followed by her clothing, eventually reaching the bed, completely naked and climbing in on top of Shura, glomping and even rubbing against him to warm up better.

_At least give me time to recover! _he mentally yelled to whatever god had decided to place him in this situation. After a while of struggling to remove himself from Tamaria's surprisingly strong grip, he sighed. _Screw it. _He commanded the shadows nearby to close the door. He then hesitatingly placed his hands on her ass, soft yet firm to the touch. _Hopefully, I'll be able to get laid,_ was Shura's last thought, before he drifted asleep.

**XXX**

Waking up to a knife at his neck was a new experience to Shura, especially since the one holding it was his bed partner, but then again, the situation before them was very misleading. Add that all that they had done together was share the bed, and things began to make more sense, especially considering that Shura's hands were still holding Tamaria's ass.

_I get slammed into her breasts and get forced to sleep with her against my will. Yet the one time I ask to get laid, I get denied?! _Shura mentally raged. _That is bullshit!_

"You have ten seconds to-" the red-haired beauty began to threaten, before Shura placed a finger against her lips. Surprisingly, she didn't attack him for that.

"Shh, let me enjoy the mental picture for a moment," Shura said, inspecting her scene of her naked body. After a while, he nodded. "Okay, image enjoyed. Now. You were drunk, barged into my room, got into the bed on top of me and refused to let go." Shura removed his fingers. "Now, while I'm not complaining, you have a knife pressed against my neck. You should consider yourself lucky that you didn't wake up as a bloody stain on the floor next to my bed."

"Ugh…!" she groaned as she pulled the dagger away before pushed off him, setting in a standing position straddling him.

"... I'm liking where this is going. Please, don't stop," Shura said in a flat tone, enjoying the bounce of her large breasts, or that her left one had a gemmed piercing through her nipple.

"How do I know it's what you say it is?" Tamaria narrowed her eyes at him, showing that - hung over or not - she was not letting her guard down entirely.

"If I wanted to do anything to you, I would've done it while you were asleep and vulnerable," Shura explained, making Tamaria slowly nod at the fact laid out. "Now, seeing that I'm _not _going to get laid, I can get rid of that hangover for you."

Tamaria eventually got off, Shura using his Healing Magic to get rid of her hangover. She sighed in relief.

"Thanks," she said. "So, how else did I embarrass myself last night?" She made no move to get dressed and merely watched as Shura put on his steel armour, which he had already placed Runes on it to keep it sturdy.

"Well, you dumped that Faendal guy and shouted that you would be leaving town with me," Shura absently replied. He then paused to give her a suspicious look. "How did you know I'm leaving today, anyway?"

"I didn't," Tamaria commented, rubbing her forehead. She had a grimace on her face. "I probably didn't even hear what was coming out of my mouth. It tends to happen when I drink too much cheap booze."

"So, what are you going to do?" Shura asked as he raised an eyebrow in mild curiosity.

"I'm coming with you, of course!" Tamaria declared happily. "I won't go back on my word! I said I'm leaving, so damn well I'll leave! No point of staying here if that fool is lusting after that human girl."

"Joy, another half-breed," Shura sarcastically muttered.

"Yeah." Tamaria frowned, finally truly focusing on him properly. "You feel… well, not like an elf… not as a Daedra either… just what are you?"

"Complicated," Shura replied. "Also, I'm on a quest to save the world."

"Really?" Tamaria asked with obvious disbelief.

"Really," Shura nodded. "Apparently, a random deity decided he should make me Dragonborn to clean up his mess. Oh, and I'm from another world." Shura didn't need to hide anything from her, feeling that she could be trusted. Plus, it was unlikely that she'd believe him anyways.

"… You know, I'm still leaving with you regardless of what fancy stories you tell me," Tamaria told him flatly.

Shura sighed. "You sure? I work well alone."

"I'll stick with you for a while. You tell good stories, at least," Tamaria decided. "Plus..." She smirked. "You're a decent bed warmer."

"Fine. Just remember to hold your own. Plus, I hope you know Skyrim better than I do," Shura finally said, relenting. It wasn't like he had any problem coming with her. And that had nothing to do with the fact that she was currently naked. ... Nope, not at all.

**XXX**

As Shura had suspected, travelling with Tamaria was entertaining to say the least. Sure, she still maintained her seductive yet snarky rude behaviour, but it was something easy to get used to. Plus she was a fountain of information about both Skyrim and the rest of Nirn as well, including the Thalmor high elves, whom she apparently held a great dislike for, something that she wouldn't tell him yet.

Shura smiled a little. It was very different travelling with a companion, rather than being alone. It was... nice in a way. At least he didn't have to worry about Nifrit interfering.

It only took them a day to reach Whiterun, and even then it was more due to some interference along the way in the form of a number of a group of Companions fighting a Giant, which ended when a well-aimed arrow from Shura (who had managed to practice his archery) pierced the creature's eye and brain, killing it within moments. Apparently the leader of the group, a beautiful red-brown haired woman wearing war paint named Aela the Huntress, found his actions both cowardly – because he chose to attack from a distance while they were distracting the giant – but praiseworthy, due to his perfect aim, and suggested that with that kind of skill he could join the Companions.

Shura was slightly conflicted. On the one hand, the Companions were both respected and skilled. On the other, he would eventually have to turn into a werewolf, and he wasn't planning on dealing with anymore curses.

Both him and Tamaria moved out of range, discussing whether he should join. "So, do you plan on joining?" Tamaria asked as soon as they were out hearing range of the Companions.

"I don't know," Shura said, contemplating the choice.

Suddenly, Tamaria looked nervous, actual fear across her face. "You know, there are some rumours about them..."

"Is it the fact that they're werewolves?" Shura questioned, seeing her head snap towards him.

"What?" she hissed in shock.

"It's true," Shura nodded. "But I don't plan on joining them. I have my own plans to enact, and I'd rather not deal with with learning to partner up with some unknown group. Besides, I've got enough curses to deal with."

"What, being an furry animal not appealing to you?" Tamaria asked, partly teasing and also curious.

"I can already turn into an animal. A flying lizard," Shura clarified. Seeing her confused look, he elaborated. "There's this magic in my world called Take-Over Magic. In simple terms, you can take a soul of a sentient being and temporarily become them."

"Think I could do it?" she asked bluntly.

"I don't know." Shura admitted. "On the one hand, it might be restricted to those of my world. But it could be possible." He shrugged. "I can look into it, I have the instructions for the process somewhere in my head. We can see if you can get a soul and we can go from there."

"Great! Now pick up the pace, we're close!" she pointed at the walls surrounding the city.

Soon enough, they were passing through the city gates after the two had discretely snuck inside past two guards, who were rather reluctant to allow them entry. Apparently, word of Helgen's destruction had indeed arrived, but nothing about the dragon so far.

Unfortunately, as it was already nighttime when they arrived at the Jarl's palace, Dragonsreach, so gaining entrance would be useless if the Jarl was already sleeping so they were turned away and told they could try again in the morning. As such, they retired for the night at the local inn, The Bannered Mare, where Shura wasted no time renting himself a room even before getting some dinner. Unsurprisingly (he just had a funny feeling that it'd happen again) , by the time Shura had even ordered, Tamaria was already downing her second bottle of mead. Though he noticed it was not as potent as the one she had been drinking in Riverwood. Deciding to not stick around to see what mess she would be causing this time, he retired to his room early.

Again, (un)fortunately, having gotten used to the pathetic locks that the Riverwood inn had, Shura forgot to lock the door and not an hour after going to sleep he woke up to the sound of it opening to allow entrance to a tipsy Tamaria Soul-Tamer who closed and locked the door behind he before proceeding to undress.

"Is this going to happen often?" Shura asked as she pulled the sheets.

"Oh, you're awake." She blinked in surprise before giving him a grin. "Why, you don't want me in your bed?" She crawled onto the bed, proceeding to get on top of him again, hands trailing towards his boxers.

"If this is happening," Shura muttered, grabbing her hand, "you need to know a few. One, this is my first time, so don't expect an amazing experience. And two..." Shura flipped Tamaria on her back, staring down at her lustfully, "_I'm _on top." With that, Shura claimed her lips in a quick, rough motion.

***LEMON WARNING***

Tamaria quickly reciprocated the kiss, arms wrapping around his body. The two continued their actions, small moans coming from each other, mostly from Shura. He disconnected, making a beeline for Tamaria's breasts. He placed his palms on them, squeezing them gently.

"Wow, you really are a virgin," Tamaria bluntly commented, making Shura look up at her. "I'm not made of glass. Be rougher. If you're going to be too weak-willed, I'll go somewhere else, and- AH!" She moaned near the end, as Shura removed his hands and used his mouth, catching a nipple into his mouth. Glaring up at the woman, he bit down on her nipple, hard. "AH! That's it!" Tamaria moaned, holding his head against her breasts.

Shura removed her hands and pushed his head forward, his face smothered in the amount of boob flesh. He licked, sucked and bit on each part of her breasts, making sure not to leave any part out. Tamaria kept on releasing breathy moans and pants, apparently liking. "Yes! That's it! Rougher, rougher!"

Shura removed himself from the heavenly tit flesh and bit down on one of her breasts, leaving bite marks on her skin. He then leaned back, quickly removing his boxers and revealing his dick. The organ sprung out, a full seven inches pointing in Tamaria's direction. It was quite veiny, and the head was slightly red at the amount of blood flowing through it.

He placed his cock near the entrance of her pussy. Grabbing her hips, he angled himself gently. Then - without warning - he slammed himself, deep into her vagina. "Oooh," Shura moaned, his cock feeling like it was enveloped in a glove... that was several sizes too small.

Tamaria was of a similar fashion. "Ooooooh," she moaned loudly, feeling the force Shura used. "T-That's it! Fuck me!"

"With pleasure," Shura grinned, a lustful expression on his face. He then reared his hips back, the tip of his dick the only part that was still inside her pussy. He then slammed back into her, both of their hips meeting. Shura gritted his teeth, repeating the action several times.

"Yes," she moaned. Her hips thrusted in tandem with his. "Yes, yes, yes, yes! Harder! Faster!" Her pussy was squeezing him as he moved, feeling like an incredibly warm, moist tunnel that he didn't want to leave. Shura moaned loudly, the sensations incredible. Sweat shined their bodies as the two fucked.

The half-Etherious leaned forward, kissing Tamaria roughly as they continued to thrust their hips together, loud slapping sounds echoing across the room. The two moaned inside each other's mouths, tongues slobbering against each other. The two separated, Shura kissing her neck, doing his best to give her pleasure.

"Oh, baby," Tamaria moaned, her tongue hanging out of her mouth. Shura mewled, taking her two breasts in his hands and squeezing them almost painfully, the softness driving him crazy. He growled, eyes alight with lust as he continued his actions, thrusting rapidly into her and playing with her large breasts. He kissed and sucked on them as he toyed with them, enjoying the sounds that the half-elf was making.

"Use me! Fuck me!" Tamaria screamed, Shura doing just that. He started to savagely thrust into her, getting an idea. He grabbed her neck and squeezed slightly, making it hard for her to breath. For some reason, the sight of her like this spurred something in Shura, making his thrusts faster, his features darkening. His other hand grabbed her thigh and squeezed it tightly, marking it with bruises.

"So... tight," Shura moaned, the bed creeking and shaking rapidly in response to their fucking. His hips crashed into hers with furious succession. Shura pushed himself down onto her, breasts squished against his muscular torso. His balls smacked against her pussy as he furiously thrusted into her, addicted at the feel of her tight caverns. Of her skin pressed against his, and especially at the sight of her pleasured face.

"Yes, that's it!" Tamaria shouted. "Fuck me, Shura!" Her lower body shook with the power of the thrusts Shura gave, a grunt following each one. His balls tightened as his eyes widened. "Tamaria, I-I'm gonna-"

"Do it!" she yelled. "Inside!"

Grunting and groaning, Shura roared as he gave one final thrust, cumming inside her sore pussy. After the release, Tamaria followed, her own cum leaking out of her pussy and mixing with his own. The two panted harshly as they stayed connected, Shura falling on top of his partner. He kissed her, the half-elf reciprocating the action. After they separated, they were silent, enjoying the sensations. After a few minutes, Tamaria looked at Shura, grinning. "Want to go again?"

Grinning, Shura nodded. And so the two continued their sexual dance, wrecking the room in the process as they did so.

***END LEMON***

**XXX**

The next morning, Shura awoke to a most pleasurable sensation. Slowly opening his eyes and glancing along his body, his eyes settled on the sight of Tamaria's head bobbing up and down on his crotch, his morning wood disappearing between her ruby red lips. Noticing his gaze, she almost let him out of her mouth, keeping just the head in and using her tongue to tease it, a taunting look in her eyes.

Shura's eyes narrowed and he growled before his hands snapped and grabbed the sides of her head and pushed it down, forcing her to take more and more of his dick into her mouth and throat. Holding her there for a second, he then pulled her head up and then down again, effectively beginning the process of fucking her face.

Looking in Tamaria's eyes, he knew that she was anything but opposed to his actions. It had not taken him long the previous night to find out that while she was indeed a forceful and very sexual being, she also preferred being dominated by her partner. As such, he was not in the least surprised that when he pulled out to let her breathe properly. Rather than focus on regaining her breath, her priority was to begin smothering his dick with her large breasts, rubbing her nipples along his length to provide further stimulation for herself, leading her to orgasm a bit before Shura finally erupted, spraying her face and breasts with a few white streams of cum, which she quickly gathered and devoured greedily.

"T-That... was... amazing," Shura panted harshly, eyes almost rolling into the back of his head at the mind-blowing sex he had experienced last night.

"Good," Tamaria nodded, smirking. Her breasts bounced as she looked at him, Shura looking at the bite marks all over them. "Because there's more where that came from. But we have a job to do, remember?"

Reluctantly, Shura got himself dressed, staring at Tamaria's bare ass as she changed. Eventually, the two cleaned and bathed themselves, followed by checking out and heading straight for Dragonsreach to meet the Jarl. Along the way, Shura had a large grin on his face, which increased in size once he saw Tamaria limp a bit as she walked.

Thankfully, this time they were allowed entry, though it appeared that the Jarl was busy arguing with one of his advisors from the look of it. It took only a few words from the man's, Proventus Avenicci's, mouth for Shura to instantly dislike him. He was a power-hungry spokesperson, who wouldn't hesitate to stab someone in the back, if only to benefit himself and his goals.

"Halt!" a female Dunmer commanded once Shura and Tamaria got within ten feet of the Jarl's throne. "The Jarl is busy. What business do you have with him?" she asked, eying them - especially Tamaria - suspiciously.

"I bring word of the attack on Helgen from Alvor of Riverwood," Shura spoke up instantly.

"The blacksmith?" the Dunmer questioned, seeming to relax slightly. "Very well, the Jarl will want to see you," she said, before quickly moving to the Jarl's side and informing him of the new arrivals.

"What is this? You bring news from Alvor?" Jarl Balgruuf the Greater enquired. His eyes focusing on Shura as he stepped forwards. "About Helgen?"

"About the dragon attack on Helgen, yes," Shura corrected. "The Imperial soldiers had captured a man named Ulfric Stormcloak, and were holding an execution for him and the other captured rebels. A black dragon flew into Helgen and attacked, burning down almost everything. I'm pretty sure that General Tullius and a few of his soldiers had escaped, most likely on their way to Solitude if not there already. Ulfric most likely escaped."

"I see… so that was what happened…," Balgruuf sighed, before turning to glare at his advisor. "Well, Proventus? Shall we wait until Riverwood is ashes as well before we do something?" he asked sarcastically.

"W-We s-should send guards at once, my Jarl!" the whimpering politician instantly replied.

"Go arrange it," the Jarl ordered and Proventus left. He sighed, shaking his head.

"Jarl Balgruuf, while sending guards to Riverwood is all well and good, you should prepare for a possible attack on Whiterun as well. After all, the dragon could simply fly over Riverwood and come here. And it's definitely a bigger target then Riverwood," Shura suggested.

"Yes... Yes, you have a point." Balgruuf mused, stroking his chin. "Any suggestions?"

"Foot soldiers will be useless unless the dragon is on ground. Archers could be very effective. Though, dragon scales will be very tough to pierce," Shura suggested, thinking about the situation in his mind.

"Indeed…," the Jarl muttered in agreement, eyeing the God Slayer speculatively, before turning towards the Dunmer woman. "Irileth, please arrange to have our best archers to begin standing guard on the walls. And for the other guards to begin training their skill with the bow. Our friend here is right; our swords will not reach the dragon."

"By your will, it shall be done, my Jarl," Irileth responded. She bowed before swiftly leaving.

"As for you, you have my thanks, both for the warning and for the wisdom you bring." Balgruuf smiled, signaling to a guard who brought a few pieces of steel armour, and from the glow on them they were enchanted. "Please accept this as reward for your efforts."

"Thank you, Jarl Balgruuf," Shura thanked, before accepting the armour and storing it in his backpack. Noticing the surprise of the Jarl at the large pieces of armour disappearing in such a small container, he explained, "A bit of magic I learnt back home."

"Oh, you're knowledgeable in magic then?" Balgruuf asked, eyes lighting up. "Perhaps you would be interested in doing a few errands for me and my Court Wizard? We could use someone of your skills."

Shura frowned, wondering if he should take the offer. Well, he had nothing better to do now, so he might as well. "Very well, I have no plans right now so a few errands would not hurt," he shrugged.

"Good, good. Come with me," Balgruuf nodded as he stood up from his throne and led the two to a room connected to the entry hall. "Farengar, I found someone to help you with your dragon research."

Farengar was a hooded man, whose face was hard to discern from his cloak. "Really? He does not look like much. Pretty young too," the hooded mage commented as he gave Shura a one-over before his eyes moved to Tamaria, narrowing suspiciously. However, he held his tongue.

"He was able to escape from the dragon attack on Helgen, so he's certainly capable. Plus, he has knowledge of magic; that must count for something in your book, right?" Balgruuf argued.

"Very well, he'll do," Farengar sighed, and with that the Jarl left to return to his business.

"So, what's this errand you need us for? The Jarl said something about dragon research?" Shura spoke up.

"Yes, yes, I need you to go pick up a stone tablet from Bleak Falls Barrow. It's likely in the final chamber," Farengar explained.

"So we'll just have to fight your way through an army of Draugr," Shura concluded, shoulders slumping. "Fantastic."

"Oh, you already know about that?" Farengar asked, blinking.

"Yes, but thanks for the warning," Tamaria spat, glaring.

"My apologies, but at least you know of what you are to face ahead," Farengar said, unapologetic, before turning away.

"Actually," Shura said, making the mage look at him. "Before we leave, I'd like to take a look at your magic."

"Hm, I do have a few things for sale, and not just books," Farengar mused.

"Show me," Shura asked. After a who;e. after emptying the mage's entire stock, Shura was leading Tamaria out of Dragonsreach.

"Did you really need to buy all that asshole's junk?" Tamaria complained.

"Yes," Shura answered, inspecting the potion ingredients, spell books and other enchanted objects in his backpack. "The guy's a complete dick, but he did have good stuff. Besides..." Reaching into his backpack, he brought out multiple gold coins (septims, he mentally corrected) that he showed to Tamaria. "I managed to swipe a bit of money from him in addition, almost his entire profit. A win-win, if you ask me."

Tamaria grinned. "I knew there was a reason I stuck with you."

"I thought it was because of sex," Shura replied jokingly.

"That too," the half-elf stated, her grin widening.

In no time at all - considering they were both now riding horses - the two of them reached the mountain in which Bleak Falls Barros was dug within. Though, to their annoyance, they had to part from their horses after ascending said mountain up to a certain point. It was not the it was snow, nor the poor quality of road at fault, but rather the numerous animals, mainly wolves with the occasional bear, that attacked them. And while both he and Tamaria had good aim with both their spells and their arrows, the fact was unless they were willing to set the whole mountain on fire, they could not keep away all the packs of predators from their horses. As such, after leaving them enough food and water stored in his Requip space, they had tied the horses to a tree and continued on their way.

Their advance slowed, both from having to travel on their own feet and the winds that seemed unwilling to let them progress further. By night time they had reached the Barrows, also taking out a small group of bandits along the way.

Shura stabbed his sword through the throat of one of the attacking bandits, titling his head to the side to avoid the arrow Tamaria shot, which pierced the head of another. "The leaders of this group should be inside. That's likely where the stone tablet is."

"As well as their gold," Tamaria added with a grin.

Shura smiled as well at that. "That too." Pulling out his bow and arrow, he quickly sniped some look-outs that got too nosy, making them fall of their advantage place. With that, they were able to step in.

Sensing the surrounding shadows, Shura quickly found the remaining bandits and - more importantly - the few hundred undead that were either asleep or already wandering the lower levels of the Barrow.

He signalled to Tamaria to deal with certain targets, while he went after others, the bandit leader among them. Setting the bow on his back, he drew a Steel Dagger and snuck up to the bandits, one by one, covering their mouths with one hand and slicing their throats with the other As he did this, he absorbed each of their souls, gathering information. Apparently, the bandit leader was the only exceptional one here, as he had been restless and surprised Shura. This forced the him to engage him in close combat. Despite his decent speed, the bandit leader was no match for Shura, who pulled out his Violent Fierce God Slicer (at low power, otherwise the mountain would probably split in half), cutting him from hip to neck. Shura absorbed his soul, gathering the knowledge that he had.

"That was a close one there," Tamaria teased him as she approached, having eliminated her last target just before he had engaged the leader.

Shura dismissed his magic sword, rolling his eyes. "Next time, I'll do better. I just didn't think I needed to try for some weaklings."

Smirking, she led the way down into the Barrow. A few minutes and a couple dead bandits later, they found themselves before a locked door and a lever surrounded by a puddle of dried blood. Quickly locating the Nordic puzzle columns, it took them all of a look around the room to see the correct combination carved on tablets, leaving them rather confused at how easy it was to figure it out.

"Do Nords actually find this challenging?" Tamaria asked in disbelief.

"Guess the rumours of them being hard-headed are true," Shura commented, agreeing with Tamaria. He shook his head. "Oh well, our gain, I guess."

They walked through the now open door and then down a slight of spiralling stairs, killing of a few Skewers along the way, before reaching a chamber. While there, Shura and Tamaria located the Frostbite Spider, something that creeped the half-elf out. It was near the ceiling, watching as he and Tamaria advanced into its territory – but he decided to ignore it for the moment as they approached one particular bandit that was trapped in a web at the far edge of the chamber.

"Is... is someone coming? Is that you Harknir? Bjorn? Soling?" the bandit called out. "I know I ran ahead with the claw, but I need help!"

"Claw?" Shura asked the man.

"What? Who are you? Oh, never mind. Cut me down before that thing gets us!" the bandit begged.

"Not until you tell me about this claw," Shura shot back. If the bandit was eager to find it before, then it had to be something of value.

"Help me down, and I'll show you. You won't believe the power the Nords have hidden there!" the bandit tried to tempt him.

"Uh, Shura?" Tamaria spoke up. It was then that Shura sensed the Frostbite Spider moving towards the ground.

"No. Not again. Help!" the bandit shrieked. "Get it away from me. Get it away!"

Shura simply summoned a spike of darkness, skewering the Frostbite Spider. "Now then, about that claw…" Shura smiled, as if he hadn't taken down the massive spider.

"Does it look like I can move? You have to cut me down first," the bandit protested. Shura raised an eyebrow.

"You can't simply tell me?" Shura asked, seeing the bandit gulp. Shura nodded. "Oh, I see. You were planning on keeping this claw to yourself. See, that's just something I don't like." With a simple gesture, Shura used the darkness to snap his neck as he absorbed his soul. Apparently, the Golden Claw was worth 500 septims. While not a large amount, it was still considerable.

The two continued walking, hacking and slashing at any Draugr that came upon them. These were much different than regular humans. Draugr were much more faster and stronger, but had the instincts of animals. They had no strategy, only trying to swarm them and take them down. It was that weakness that made them easy prey to Shura's and Tamaria's blades.

Tamaria managed to step on a pressure panel that managed to trigger some spikes on the walls to home in on them, about to skewer the two. Luckily, Shura quickly wrapped themselves in a cocoon of shadows, protecting them. A few traps, including pendulum blades that were easily stopped with Shura catching them and crushing them with his brute strength, followed by a few dozen Draugr later and they found themselves before the Nordic puzzle that required the Golden Claw. Setting the combination at Bear, Moth and Owl as per the instructions on the Claw, and the wall opened allowing them passage.

It was there, in the final, innermost chamber, of the crypt that Shura's power began to pulse in concert with the thrumming sounds that reached his earns only, a certain word on the Word Wall at the back of the room glowing with power as it acknowledged his approach. Remaining cautious however, he checked the other few coffins in the room and smiled grimly at the sight that only the one before the Word Wall remained active.

"Cover me," Shura quickly instructed as he drew his Steel Sword and cautiously approached the Word Wall, closing his eyes for a few moments as a wave of euphoria hit him as the knowledge of the word _Fus _was inscribed in his very being on top of what he had already seen and experienced from Alduin's Unrelenting Force Shout, deepening his connection to it.

Seconds later, he snapped out of it and turned his attention fully to the coffin whose lid exploded upwards once he was close enough, allowing the Draugr Overlord within to rise… only for a few blood bullets to pierce its body and splintering it, while allowing Shura to put his sword through its skull almost simultaneously, rendering the corpse just that, a corpse. It was the work of seconds to loot its possessions, which included the tablet they sought, the Dragonstone, as well as a decent amount of gold and a couple of gems.

Looking through the chest a few feet away rewarded Shura with a few spell books, some elven and Nordic armor, but most importantly a white crystal shaped roughly in a spherical shape that he immediately recognized as Meridia's Beacon.

"**You have found my Beacon, mortal," **a powerful female voice resounded through his mind. **"Return my Beacon to me on Mount Kilkreath and you shall be rewarded."**

"… Please tell me you heard that as well," Tamaria said nervously.

"If you're asking if I just heard Meridia, the Daedric Prince of Life and Lady of Infinite Energies, commanding that we return this thing to her at her Shrine on Mount Kilkreath west of Solitude… then no, I didn't hear a damn thing," Shura shot back sarcastically.

"Oh, good, for a moment I though you would be heading there and drag me with you," Tamaria deadpanned.

"Looks like Meridia hates the undead," Shura noted. "If we do a few errands for her, we may learn some magic effective against undead – which would be damn useful considering how many ancient crypts there are in Skyrim. Also, I'm not dragging you anywhere. You tagged along on your own."

"…Fine, we can go there… but let's meet up with my sister first before heading there, okay?" Tamaria sighed not even bothering to argue.

"…You have a sister?" Shura asked, surprised. Tamaria seemed too free-spirited and more of a lone wolf to seem to have a sibling.

"Yeah, Miosotis Soul-Tamer, my older sister. She's more in touch with the Divines then the Daedra, unlike me, though." Tamaria shrugged. "The only Daedra she seems to tolerate are Azura and Mephala."

"Well, we can drop by Azura's Shrine as well. Help get her favour, plus it'll help repay her," Shura replied.

"… What is it with you and Daedric Princes?" Tamaria raised an eyebrow. "Never mind. As long as it doesn't get me killed, I'm more then eager to cause some chaos and kill some idiots."

"Great, but before that we have a few things to deliver," Shura reminded her as he headed towards the exit in the back of the Barrow, the darkness parting for him.

"Then why are you going that way?" Tamaria asked.

"There's a way out this way. We won't have to go through the whole Barrow again," Shura explained as he led her and soon enough they were outside, looting a couple more chests and several burial urns on the way.

"Che, we're in the wilderness. It'll take a while to-" Tamaria began as she looked around.

"I have a suggestion," Shura offered. "Take hold of my arm. And _don't _let go."

"… Okay?" She gave him a confused look but followed his directions. A second later, the two disappeared in a burst of shadows. Then, she was on her hands and knees on the grass, emptying her stomach of all its contents.

Shura blinked at her, confused. "Are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

"What in _Oblivion _was that?!" Tamaria almost shrieked, somewhat regaining her bearings.

"My method of travel," Shura explained. "I can bend the shadows to allow me to teleport quite quickly to a given location. Haven't given it a name yet."

"And why, pray tell, didn't you warn me about it?" she asked angrily.

"I've never taken anyone that way before," Shura said. "You were the first one to go through apart from me."

"You didn't know what was going to happen to me?" she growled, glaring at him.

Shura scoffed. "Tamaria, I _control _darkness itself. I would never hurt you, so there was no harm."

"You're a bastard," Tamaria grunted, though she was somewhat calm at the explanation. "Still, that was uncomfortable!"

"You'll get used to it," Shura waved away, before he grinned. "I'm just experiencing all kinds of firsts with you. The first person I travelled with, the first person who I teleported, my first time-" She jabbed him in the ribs, making him grunt.

"Quiet," she told him, smiling a little. "Now what?"

"Now we get out gold for the Golden Claw from Lucan Valerius," Shura shrugged and began walking towards Riverwood, making Tamaria realize they were very close to the town and it was only a large boulder that was keeping it out of her line of sight.

Three hours later, they were leaving Riverwood from the other side of town, each a thousand septims richer and in much better moods. Lucan didn't even need that much convincing, as he was very grateful for the Golden Claw. Though Tamaria's skimpy attire also helped considering the looks he kept sending her.

His sister, Camilla, had been extremely thankful on her own and, after a minor argument with Tamaria where she cheered up the half-elf greatly be revealing to be in a relationship with Sven, the local bard proceeded to drag Shura away from her distracted brother and into her room to demonstrate how _thankful _she was for her services.

"Stop grinning," Tamaria scoffed at Shura, who still had a grin on his face, along with a red lipstick mark on his cheek and scratch marks on his back.

"Can't, still enjoying the joy of sex," Shura responded, grinning. "And I didn't even have to ask."

"Virgin," she commented, only to jump as Shura smacked her ass.

"Not what you were screaming last night," Shura commented, smirking.

As such, both of the travellers had good reasons to be in higher spirits… up until Shura reminded his companion that their horses were waiting for them halfway up the mountain, which led to another bout of teleportation. Though thankfully, Tamaria kept her lunch this time. After that, they had travelled at a relatively relaxed pace and reached Whiterun close to sunset.

They were allowed entry into Dragonsreach, however, and they quickly sought out Farengar to hand over the Dragonstone to him. Though not before Shura absorbed enough magic from it. As he had expected, Delphine was already there and try to intimidate Farengar into helping her further, however his and Tamaria's arrival put a stop to that and soon enough the court wizard to begin explaining that the Dragonstone revealed the burial places of the dragons slain in the past. This was until Irileth ordered Farengar to come speak to the Jarl, her tone indicating an emergency.

And an emergency it was. What else could one call a dragon attacking? Shura was unsure how, but he found himself traveling with Irileth and a group of soldiers to the Western Watchtower, where the dragon had attacked, to assess the situation, rescue the survivors and, if possible, slay the dragon.

"You know, before I met you my life was much quieter," Tamaria remarked, not looking troubled in the least – rather, she seemed quite excited to be able to face a dragon.

"You'll get over it," Shura smirked.

"Be quiet!" Irileth hissed angrily. "We need to focus on-"

"On that dragon right over there coming right at us," Shura blandly interrupted, pointing over her shoulder and towards the damaged Watchtower from behind which a dark bronze scaled dragon appeared, roaring in challenge at them.

**"Yol - Toor - Shul!" **it Shouted, unleashing a torrent of fire straight at the group of soldiers.

**"Fo - Kran - Diin!" **Shura Shouted in response, causing a powerful mist to occur from the elemental attacks. "Aim for the eyes and wings!" Shura yelled, Requipping Dragon Slayer and launching himself towards the dragon.

"Shadow Sable!" he yelled, darkness coating his sword as he swung upwards, unleashing an arc of dark destruction towards the dragon. The creature managed to narrowly avoid the attack, but that was a distraction. Shura burst into shadows and reappeared above the dragon, swinging Dragon Slayer down and cutting deep into the dragon's spine.

The dragon roared, a mix of pain and anger at having its blood being drawn. **"Thuri du hin sil ko Sovngarde!" **it snarled, trying to shake Shura off. Growling, Shura stabbed Dragon Slayer into its spine again, dragging the blade along and carving into the flesh as he ran towards the dragon's head.

"**Fus - Ro - Dah!" **Shura Shouted near its head, disorientating the winged creature and cracking its skull. It fell down, plummeting towards the ground. Its massive body hit, producing a shockwave that pushed everyone but Shura back, snow flying everywhere. Not being deterred, Shura raised Dragon Slayer high in the air, slicing downwards and beheading the dragon, its blood coating both the ground and the sword as it died.

Shura quickly acted, absorbing the soul of the dragon. He hissed in pain, the reeling experience of absorbing a soul with several millennia's worth of memories. Luckily, he quickly adapted, having gotten used to such a thing. The dragon soul broke into little particles, being absorbed into Shura, empowering him. The dragon's body also broke down, specifically its flesh and organs.

Shura quickly stepped forward, thrusting his hand into the dragon's fading chest, pulling out a massive beating, bloody heart. The dragon heart slowly pumped, before it died down, the blood coating Shura's hand. Discretely, Shura Requipped the heart away, saving it for later.

Finally turning his attention towards Tamaria and the Whiterun soldiers, he realized they were debating whether he was truly Dragonborn, some arguing as it being only a legend while others swearing that they just saw the real thing.

"Shura, can you Shout a little and put this to rest?" Tamaria asked in annoyance.

Shura sighed. "Fine." He turned towards a nearby boulder. **"Fus!" **he Shouted, blasting it a few feet away, but the demonstration was enough to convince even the disbelievers amongst them.

"Great, now let's head back to the city," Tamaria demanded. "I was already tired even before this mess, and I want to get some fucking sleep sometime tonight!"

"Sure, just give me a minute," Shura said, approaching the skeleton of the dead dragon, which still had some scales on it. It took a while, but he managed to shove the whole thing inside his Requip space, panting a little at the amount of magic needed.

"Handy," Tamaria quipped.

"Oh, I'm just getting the hang of shoving large, hard objects inside holes," Shura responded, smirking. "Big holes, small holes, tight holes, none are safe from me."

"Don't I know it!" the half-elf cackled as they headed towards the city, leaving Irileth and the Whiterun soldiers to return at their own pace.

As they entered the city a while later, however, the sky rumbled with one world: "**Dovahkiin**."

Shura frowned, turning his eyes towards the Throat of the World, where High Hrothgar awaited. "The hell was that?"

**Think I'll stop here. Should be a good place. **

**Hope y'all liked the chapter, as well as the lemon. It was quick because Shura was a virgin, and I'm not going to have him go for extremely long periods of time. Though, maybe after some experience.**

**What else, what else... oh, yeah! An explanation!**

**Something I forgot to mention, the reason Shura can use magic in Skyrim with no Ethernano present is because Akatosh and Azura were the ones to gift him with magic. The Skyrim 'magic' allows Shura to use the Shouts, and in addition, his own magic.**

**And don't worry. When Shura goes to Edolas (which he will, by the way) he won't be able to use magic there. Laws of Skyrim and Earthland won't work there without specific outside help.**

**Also, just to let you all know: some y'all reviewed that the previous chapter (probably this one as well, I guess) is very similar to fg7dragon's story 'The O****tsutsuki Transmigrant'. I just wanna let you know: I'm not copying his story. Hell, until someone pointed it out to me, I didn't even know that it was similar. **

**I already have a couple chapters written up in advance, so you may see some similarities (I had the story in my Favourites as well, before I got bored and deleted it). But I promise, I didn't copy it. I'll edit the chapters so they don't look too identical, but I'm not changing almost the entire thing. Already spent too fucking long on writing these chapters. I'm not changing the entire direction or plot. Just to calm all y'all asses down. **

**Anyways, hope you're enjoying the arc. I might do three, maybe four more chapters until its finished. Although, that's just an estimate. Don't know specifically how long it'll take.**

**Anywho, Read and Review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

Since coming to Skyrim, Shura hadn't found anything to annoy or irritate him too much. He was getting better at wielding Dragon Slayer, learned new magic and Shouts here and there, was armed to the teeth with weapons stored in his Requip space, he didn't have to deal with Nifrit and her evil schemes, he generally felt at peace here, and he had a sexy half-elf that he shared his bed with, occasionally leading to sex. Yes, everything was alright...

... except he had learned from Balgruuf about the Greybeards and how they had apparently summoned him to High Hrothgar. Where - he was told - he would have had to travel by horse for a couple weeks around the mountain, pass through Ivarstead and then climb the seven thousand steps up said mountain to the monastery they Greybeards lived in. Shura refused to journey on pure principle, but finding out that he could learn more Shouts from them, he decided to go.

However, instead of going the normal way, Shura decided to wait for a bit, connecting to the darkness around Skyrim to try and locate where High Hrothgar was. It was a new trick he had learned, being able to connect with the shadows around the world and locate what place he needed to find by teleporting there. And while it was an amazing skill, the downside was that it was incredibly draining. It was like his senses were increased a hundredfold, connected to and feeling almost everything at once. The first time he had tried it, he had literally passed out from sensory overload, and almost died.

He had gradually gotten better, but never went over his usual limit. He normally travelled to places that were deserted and did his 'shadow sensing' there. It was this skill - after using it for three days - that he had managed to find High Hrothgar. During this period of time, he had managed to find several settlements that he planned on visiting later, like Solstheim.

Not only that, but he had also discovered numerous other locations that were beneficial to him. As such, with all that information available to him, it had been child's play to make a few teleportation trips while Tamaria was asleep to a couple of Word Walls that were outdoors, usually on top of a mountain, and learn a few words of power… most of which he knew already thanks to the knowledge and power he had gained from Mirmulnir, which was the name of the dragon he had slayed.

The real beauties, however, were the first words of the _**Aura Whisper**_ Shout that allowed him to see the aura of living and undead things for a period of time and within a certain range, as well as the _**Bend Will**_ Shout from Saering's Watch in Solstheim. And while Shura could practically possess people with Soul Magic, the Shout could work for undead beings, like Draugr.

Shura and Tamaria finally arrived at the front door of High Hrothgar after teleporting through the shadows. While there, the Greybeards decided test him on a Shout he already fully knew. Also, he may have overdid it a bit and blasted one of the Greybeards up a flight of stairs and into solid iron double doors, forcing them open to allow him to land on his ass in the courtyard. Both him and Tamaria had a good laugh at that.

Apparently though, other than a few bruises on his face and the back of his head, he was fine, leading Shura and Tamaria to suspect that the robes the Greybeards wore were heavily enchanted. A few diagnostics - which involved accidentally hitting Arngeir - the head honcho - with a bit of magic - revealed that not only were the robes loaded with enough protection spells to make most mages in Skyrim salivate, but they were made of dragon hide, and were likely something that came with the job rather than items they created.

As he progressed in the knowledge of the Words of Power and Shouts, the Greybeards were so impressed that they went straight ahead to teaching him a new Word of Power, _**Wuld,**_ or Whirlwind. This was the first of the _**Whirlwind Sprint**_ Shout… and that was that. Sure, Shura also learned the _**Bex,**_ or Unlock that they used to unlock a gate, but that was all they were offering to teach him at that time. Instead, as the final part of his _quest_ to be recognized as the Dragonborn, he was to go and retrieve the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller from Ustengrav. If it weren't for the fact that he had managed to nab a couple of their robes (and by nab, he meant steal three-quarters of them), he would've used his Violent Fierce God Slicer and slice the entire place in half.

When he was officially told this, Shura denied and just ignored them, causing them to be enraged at his attitude. This annoyed him so much that he just stole each of their souls, gaining the knowledge that he wanted. The noticeable Shouts he had obtained were _**Whirlwind Sprint**_, _**Ice Form**_, **Spectral Clone**, _**Become Ethereal**_ and _**Clear Skies. **_The rest of the Shouts he had already learned, so they were pointless.

His thirst for dragon knowledge somewhat sated, Shura decided on what he should do. He had no intention of going off the Ustengrav quite yet – it was pointless really, in the grand scheme of things. The only real gain from that would be to have an excuse to meet Delphine in her capacity as a Blade. The thing was, she had not even stolen the Horn yet, never mind returned to Riverwood to wait for him (he had checked by melding with the shadows and checking). In other words, he had at least a week before he would need to meet Dephine, since that was roughly how long it would take for her to make a trip from Ustengrav to Riverwood, and that was _if_ she was at the Nordic Tomb yet while riding a horse, otherwise the period at least doubled.

Shura was about to leave, but Tamaria convinced him to stay, stating that she wanted to defile the monastery by them having sex all over the place. When asked why, she replied that it was something that she had wanted to do. Shrugging, he decided to do just that, having hot and passionate sex for hours all over the place, practically making sure that there wasn't an ounce of holiness around the place.

Done with the desecration, the two stopped at Whiterun once more. Apparently, that was where Miosotis, Tamaria's older sister, had agreed to meet up with them. Sure, it was a couple days earlier then what the other half-elf had promised, but they could wait for her all the same. And it was not like they would have to spend their night at an inn, not after Jarl Balgruuf had granted Shura the right to buy property in Whiterun. The Breezehome property had been acquired within the same hour of becoming Thane of Whiterun and another hour later was fully furnished. True, it was not luxurious by any means but it was better than an inn.

There was even a bonus; it even came with a caretaker; the beautiful Lydia being offered to him as Housecarl immediately after becoming Thane and moving into Breezehome soon after to look after the place. And, as he pretty much expected from Tamaria after knowing her for even such a short time, the young Housecarl was tempted into his and the half-elf's bed by the second night they spent in the house. Unfortunately, Shura had to put a stop to that before it got beyond flirting for one simple reason: for all her beauty, Lydia was a simple bitch that had every intent of seducing him in order to either rob him blind or profit from his ventures. Shura could immediately observe negative emotions rolling off of her. As such, he had to reject Lydia's advances and then explain to the half-elf the reasons behind it. while Tamaria was not too enthusiastic about it, she agreed to not allow Lydia to get too close.

As they had expected, they were welcomed back by Lydia, though unexpectedly Miosotis was also there, having apparently hitched a ride on a passing carriage to arrive faster than predicted.

Looking at them from side by side, Shura could instantly tell the two were siblings, despite Tamaria's hair being crimson as opposed to Miosotis' blonde. Tamaria had orange eyes, as opposed to Miosotis' green. Tamaria's orange-tanned skin was a clear contrast to Miosotis' fair one. Beyond these superficial traits, they were so much alike they could pass for twins. Though Miosotis was definitely more modest when it came to revealing her skin, wearing full body Stalhrim Armor that she had definitely acquired in Solstheim.

For a moment, Shura had a fantasy to them about having sex with the both of them... before he hid in the back of his mind. Knowing Tamaria, it was likely to happen, though he didn't want to make it too obvious.

As such, he was right. Tamaria, the horny half-elf, couldn't even wait until they had settled down before pouncing on the God Slayer.

***LEMON WARNING***

As such, he should have expected Tamaria to pounce on him and begin to strip him as she absently took off her own clothing. Miosotis' spluttered and insincere admonishments did not fool anyone, especially with how her left hand had disappeared under a certain portion of her armour.

"You're really going to just have sex in front of your sister?" Shura asked, kissing Tamaria on the neck as she moaned.

"N-No," she answered, her voice unsteady due to Shura's actions. "I expect h-her to - Yes, right there - join in."

"... I can get behind that," he commented, backing away from Tamaria and looking at Miosotis. "Are you joining in?"

"I-I...," she stuttered, hands still playing with her crotch.

"Oh, come off it, Sis," Tamaria waved away. "We both know that you want a piece of him as well."

"... Fine," Miosotis finally answered, quickly stripping away her own armour. She followed after her sister, who gave her a happy nod. "Good girl!"

Shura inspected the bodies of the women in front of him, drinking their figures in. Tamaria's orange skin gave her the exotic look, something that Shura was starting to love. Miosotis' fair skin was different, but still very appealing. She didn't have the nipple piercing her sister did, but Shura still stared at her breasts, which were slightly larger than Tamaria's.

Done with his assessment, Shura pounced on Miosotis, grabbing her hips and roughly kissing her. She responded in kind, her previous shy demeanour fading away, replaced by a lustful animal. She moaned, her hand straying to Shura's cock, stroking it gently. Shura's hands weren't idle, palming and cupping her big breasts. He squeezed the flesh in his hands, enjoying the small moans coming from the half-elf.

Annoyed at being left alone, Tamaria shoved Shura away and kissed Miosotis, who only took a second before kissing her sister back. Shura gaped at the scene before him, the taboo act getting him more aroused, as well as conflicted. On the one hand, he severely wanted to join in on the act, but on the other hand... Shura slid a hand to his cock, stroking it gently. He groaned, eyes still open to gaze upon the incestuous act. He started stroking his dick even harder upon seeing the sisters toy with each others' breasts.

Hearing his grunts, Miosotis removed her lips from Tamaria's, looking at Shura. "Dear sister, perhaps we should attend to our man's needs? He seems so... angry that he's not joining in."

Tamaria smirked as she gazed at Shura. "Yes, I think so." Apparently having the same idea, the two got onto their knees and started crawling towards him, their lustful eyes meeting his own. They met at Shura's feet, their hands crawling across his legs, making them shake a little. They finally landed on his cock, cooing a little at getting their hands on the organ.

Miosotis went to suck on it, but Tamaria beat her to it. She gobbled the shaft in her mouth, getting an annoyed look on her sister's face. A hand on her head had her looking at Shura, who gestured towards his ballsack. Sighing, she got to work on sucking his balls.

Tamaria's experience with him helped her get him moaning loudly, running his hand through her hair. He grabbed both sides of her face, shoving more of his cock into her throat. Her face was pushed against his hips, making her gag. She hollowed her cheeks to better take the cock inside of her mouth. Her sister frantically sucked on each of his balls, tongue lavishing them with warm saliva.

Grunting, Shura started to face-fuck Tamaria rapidly, the _gluck _sound ringing through the air. She took it like a champ, tongue teasing his slit as she pumped her head up and down the shaft eagerly. He moaned loudly, the actions of both sisters sending him over the edge. He grunted when Tamaria removed herself from his cock, nearly growling.

"Wait," she told him, grinning. Winking at her sister, Miosotis smirked in response. The two faced his wet cock that angrily stared back at them, like a one-eyed serpent. They then leaned forward, kissing on his dick, tongues extended and licking it up and down. Shura's legs shook at the pleasurable sensations, almost making him fall onto his ass. But the sensations weren't the only thing he was enjoying: the sight alone was enough to send him over the edge. Tamaria and Miosotis moaned as they kept on sucking him, the long tongues and rosy lips kissing every inch. Both of them kept looking up at him innocently, the gaze not matching their act.

Shura didn't fancy himself a god. The actual thought made him feel a little ill, comparing himself to Nifrit. But now - having these two beauties sucking, no, _worshipping _him - made him feel like one. And he felt no sickness at all. He moaned loudly, the pre-cum leaking from his dick long since devoured by the two women before him. If they kept up, he wouldn't last long. He was proven right as a minute later, his willpower crumbled as he groaned loudly, cumming.

Tamaria and Miosotis eagerly drank up the cum, the former having it coat her breasts and moaning as she massaged her chest with her hand, coating it even further. Miosotis was the one drinking most of it, her eyes rolling to the back of her head at the surprisingly good taste. After a while, the two finished, standing up.

"Well, let's move onto the main course," Tamaria offered, grinning widely at her sister. "Since I'm such a considerable sister, you can have that dick inside you first."

"How thoughtful," she said sarcastically. Nevertheless, she pushed Shura on the bed, aligning her slit with his shaft. Tamaria proceeded to sit on his face, her pussy against his mouth.

"Time to pay up, Ruby-Eyes," she cackled, shoving his face deep into her pussy. She moaned immediately, feeling Shura's tongue reach into her folds.

Miosotis slowly sank down on Shura's cock, taking it inch by inch. "Oh!" she cried out, stars popping into her eyes at the feeling of him filling her up. Shura moaned, the vibrations causing Tamaria to wildly buck her hips against his face.

"Don't think about my sister's walls, eat me!" she yelled impatiently. Shura did just that, grabbing her hips and holding her in place as he devoured her pussy. The two sisters moaned loudly, Miosotis bouncing up and down the cock that filled her.

"Yes, yes, yes," she yelled, her hips slapping his thighs frantically as she fucked the dick inside of her. "Fill me with your cock!"

Tamaria turned around, her ass in Shura's face as he kept licking her up. She leaned forward and captured her sister's lips, silencing her moans. The two furiously kissed each other, Shura doing his best to satisfy both women. Remembering a little surprise, Shura's fingers moved to Tamaria's clit, playing with that frantically. The orange-skinned half-elf shook pleasurably, her sister taking advantage and dominating the kiss.

Shura felt his oxygen being slightly caught off, having too much flesh enveloping him. _What a way to go... _he thought, thinking that if he suffocated from this, he'd die happy. Shura grounded his face against Tamaria's thighs, hand raised and spanking her ass. She moaned, her sister removing herself from the kiss and attacking her breasts, especially the pierced one.

Shura raised his hand to slap her ass again, seeing the flesh ripple and watching a red hand-print mark the skin. Knowing just how she liked it, Shura continued spanking her, the slaps heating up in intensity as he furiously sucked on her clit, lapping up her leaking juices. His last trick involved using his other hand to play with her asshole a little.

The result... "HOLY SHIT!" Tamaria yelled, shivering violently as she came. Her hips kept on frantically shaking as her eyes rolled into the back of her head, the pleasure too much for her. She fell limply, sprawled over Shura's body.

Done with one sister, Shura pushed her aside briefly and grabbed the hips of the other one, raising his own hips up to meet hers. "Fuck!" Miosotis yelled in response, slamming her hips down on him. "Fuck me! Fuck me like you fucked my slutty sister!"

Grinning, Shura grabbed her hips and twisted her around, having her lie on her back. "My pleasure," he whispered, before thrusting fiercely.

"H-Holy shit!" she yelled, moaning loudly as Shura fucked her furiously. His fingers dug into her thighs, leaving marks on his skin as he thrusted his hips rapidly, his cock reaching deeper into her folds. She didn't feel as tight as Tamaria, but her walls were definitely more slick. The whole bed rocked and Miosotis' body quivered. Her cries of pleasure, in addition to her slutty grin, spurred Shura forward, increasing his speed.

The resounding slaps rang through the air as both of them moaned loudly. Sweat doused the two as they rutted like wild rabbits. Wanting to further the experience, Shura's mouth captured one of her nipples as he sucked eagerly, her moans increasing. Shura's hand was occupied with her other tit, squeezing the flesh and feeling it balloon against his palm. His hand replaced his mouth, teeth biting into her neck and leaving a hickey.

"Yes, yes, yes! Fuck me harder, you stud! Faster!" Miosotis' roared, body shaking. Shura's muscular thighs collided with her toned ones. Sweat dripped from their heated bodies and fell down onto the already messy bed, coated in their respective juices.

"So hot... so tight," the God Slayer commented, grunting with each thrust. His hands didn't leave her breasts as he continued playing and sucking on them. Miosotis' sweaty, blushing face, with her tongue out open, made Shura roar and unleash rope after rope of cum inside of her pussy, filling her up. She came as well in that moment, coating his thighs with her own cum.

The two panted, Shura falling forward and landing face-first into her breasts, enjoying the experience. He grunted as he felt his cock being removed from Miosotis' hole, looking up to see Tamaria now sucking on the dick eagerly.

"Got any in you for Round 2?" she asked, smirking.

Shura grinned. "I think I do."

***END LEMON***

**XXX**

The next morning, Shura woke up with a beautiful busty half-elf on either side, his arms held between their generous bosoms as they cuddled into him. _I love my life, _Shura commented, a massive grin on his face. He could honestly say that he was enjoying his time in Skyrim immensely. He wasn't even sure that he wanted to go home.

Shura's grin died a little at the thought of going to Earthland, leaving both women behind. He cared for the two of them, Tamaria mainly. She was a companion as well as a bed-warmer. The thought of leaving her made Shura's heart clench, though he chalked it up to her showing him affection, even if it was sexual. He couldn't say that he loved her. Hell, he didn't even know what love properly was, or felt like. Maybe that was why he was so eager for sex; he wanted to feel the warm touch of another person, even if it was only brief.

He sighed, sadness creeping into his heart a little bit. He disentangled himself from the pair, looking for his clothes. He inspected the scratches and marks the two sisters left on him, planning on treasuring them.

"Mmmm, morning Shura," Tamaria yawned before turning to the side and her eyes widened before a shit-eating grin spread on her lips. "Morning, sis."

"By the Divines…," Miosotis squeaked as she took in her surroundings and remembered what had happened the night before.

"Yeah, it was divine," Shura remarked, remembering last night. "You know, when Tamaria told me that you were affiliated with Mephala of all Daedra, I wasn't sure I believed her, considering you're mostly a Divines worshipper, but now I can see why: the sex and seduction aspects of the Webspinner suit you well."

Miosotis blushed, not willing to say anything.

"So would you like to join our little ragtag group?" Shura asked, grinning a little. "Please say yes. I plan on _persuading _you more."

"I would like to ask for more, but unfortunately, my lower body is still too sore from last night. So consider me convinced… for now," Miosotis smiled faintly.

"Welcome to our group, sis," Tamaria chuckled before leaning and giving her sister a peck on the lips.

Miosotis looked like she was about to snap at her, but after a moment she realized that propriety between them had washed away for good last night, if not when they were making out and fondling each other, then when they were doing their best to suck Shura's cum from each other's pussies.

"So, you mentioned something about Meridia?" the blonde asked.

"Yeah, we ran across her Beacon a while ago and she pretty much ordered us to return it to her altar. There was an 'or else' implied in her tone, so we don't have much of a choice," Shura commented, frowning.

"I see," Miosotis frowned. "Well, as long as that is all she wants…".

"Why the hesitation? I hear Meridia is pretty much a Daedra in just name. That she's closer to the Divines then anything," Shura pointed out.

"In the aspects she rules over, maybe," Tamaria spoke up. "In personality though, she's all Daedra: obey me or die in agony."

"... I think I'm going to hate her," Shura commented, being strongly reminded of Nifrit. "And that I'm going to slay her."

Soon after, they were heading out, but just as they were getting close to the Whiterun gates, they noticed a fight taking place between a few guards. Shura frowned as he noticed something about the attackers. "Vampires?" he muttered as he narrowed his eyes, specifically on how they were using necromancy to raise the surrounding dead as thralls.

"There had been more and more of them appearing recently. I heard talk that the Dawnguard was reforming, and it looks like it's true. Look." Miosotis pointed at an armoured man wielding a crossbow that downed one of the vampires with a bolt through the head.

Shura frowned as he noticed the similarities between the vampires and himself. Both used necromancy powers, both drank blood, and both had red eyes. Considering their reputation, Shura wasn't sure if he wanted to be compared to them. Deciding to test something, he disappeared in a burst of shadows, appearing behind a strong-looking vampire - the remaining one - and immediately drained its soul, turning its body to ash.

"Well done, lad!" the Dawnguard soldier praised. "Say, have you considered being a vampire hunter?"

"It's been on my mind," Shura lied, digesting the information.

"Good lad! Go to Fort Dawnguard near Riften. That's our base," the man said before explaining that it could only be accessed via Dayspring Canyon, Northeast of Stendarr's Beacon.

Shura decided not to tell him he could already teleport on their doorstep.

"So… Vampire Hunter?" Tamaria raised an eyebrow.

"I heard some information about how the Vampires in Skyrim had gotten their hands on a couple Elder Scrolls a few centuries ago," Shura informed them lowly. "And the Dawnguard will have information on where to find large groups of vampires."

"Elder Scrolls?!" Miosotis hissed as she paused in gathering the Vampire Dust left behind by the two bloodsuckers upon their final deaths. For potions, no doubt.

"Yes. And I plan on getting my hands of them both," Shura replied with a smirk.

If there was anything other than becoming Dragonborn that made this whole thing worth the effort (really, Shura found that he liked killing dragons and learning Shouts) , it was the Elder Scrolls. If the legends surrounding them were right, then - beyond containing accurate depictions of the past and future, accurate truths and incredibly enough falsehoods as well - they were Aedric Prophecies as well. But that wasn't the best part; the Scrolls themselves were fragments of creation that rather than become parts of Nirn became independent existences bound to no rules of space and time, and that them containing prophecies was merely a side-effect of existing outside time.

The power of the Dragon Elder Scrolls, in addition to the Blood and Sun Scrolls... Shura almost salivated at the thought. Yes, he was definitely getting those.

"Anything of note in there?" Shura absently asked Tamaria as she looked through what remained of the vampire's gear.

"A few potions and Black Soulgems," the redhead shrugged as she gave him a few of each. "And some gold," she added as he pulled out a small pouch.

"Thanks," he said, pocketing the gold for himself. He then led the way out of the city, the two following him. As soon as they were a fair distance away from Whiterun, Shura offered to teleport them both. Tamaria readily agreed, mostly to see the expression on Miosotis' face. Miosotis was hesitant, but agreed.

After a few stops through places of note like Morthal and Solitude - and the two of them enjoying Miosotis' expression when they teleported - they found themselves landing near the Statue of Meridia. As they approached the alter, a voice rang through the space, as well as their minds.

**"Look at my temple, lying in ruins. So much for the constancy of mortals, their crafts and their hearts. If they love me not, how can my love reach them?" **it said, being filled with power and authority.

Hesitating for a moment, Shura pulled out the Beacon and set it onto the altar, only for it to light up and ascend between the hands of Meridia's statue. And, moment later, he found that he had lost control over his body as he was thrust into the sky before a bluish-green wisp that was a minor manifestation of the Daedric Prince's power onto Nirn.

**It is time for my splendor to return to Skyrim. But the token of my truth lies buried in the ruins of my once great temple, now tainted by a profane darkness skittering within," **Meridia spoke, voice filled with anger. **"The Necromancer Malkoran defiles my shrine with vile corruptions, trapping lost souls left in the wake of this war to do his bidding. Worse still, he uses the power stored within my own token to fuel his foul deeds. I have brought you here, mortal, to be my champion. You will enter my temple, retrieve my artefact, and destroy the defiler. Guide my light through the temple to open the inner sanctum and destroy the defiler!"**

Shura growled at the idea of becoming another champion to a god, but kept quiet. He could slay her later. "What artefact are you talking about?"

**Mortals call it Dawnbreaker, for it was forged in a holy light that breaks upon my foes, burning away corruption and false life. You will enter my shrine, destroy Malkoran, and retrieve this mighty blade.****"**

Shura hummed. Dawnbreaker would be a perfect weapon against vampires, so he could get the sword, and possibly use it against Meridia. He was not planning on dealing with her any longer. "Fine."

"**Of course you will. I have commanded it!" **she said simply, making Shura have to resist the urge to summon his God Slayer magic and wipe this bitch out from existence. Just be patient, just be patient...

**"Go now, the artifact must be reclaimed and Malkoran destroyed. Malkoran has forced the doors shut. But this is my temple, and it responds to my decree. I will send down a ray of light. Guide this light through my temple and its doors will open," **she decreed and Shura was steadily lowered back to solid ground, before the statue and the waiting Soul-Tamer sisters.

"You heard her, I take it?" Shura deadpanned at the look of distaste on Miosotis' face.

"Let's get this over with," she sighed.

"Yep, let's go kill dead things… huh, that does not feel as satisfying as I wished," Tamaria said, frowning slightly.

"Well, get used to it. All the crypts in Skyrim are filled with undead of some kind, be they regular animated skeletons, or Draugr," Shura commented as he led the way down to the temple entrance and opened the metal door to reveal a couple desecrated corpses on the floor.

Shura searched their bodies, retrieving fifty to a hundred gold coins. Ignoring the moral standpoint of looting dead bodies... it was money. Plus, it wasn't like they were going to use it anymore. He also searched any urn he came across, hoping for any treasure.

They soon reached the first pedestal that held a copy of Meridia's Beacon into which a beam of light was shining, and after pressing onto it the Beacon rose a bit and reflected the light into another direction, guiding the way. The second pedestal, however, was better guarded by several Corrupted Shades within the room floating around aimlessly but as soon as their presence was detected they attacked either with their swords or with their bow and arrows. Fortunately, like most undead they were quite susceptible to fire and a few fireballs reduced them to ectoplasmic goo. Their weapons, however, were collected and stored away to be either sold or used to practice enchanting or smiting later on.

Unfortunately, the way further was blocked by debris. Usually, this meant little when one could blast their way through, but considering how run-down and unstable the structure was, Shura wouldn't take his chances with getting buried alive. Instead, he used shadows to plot a way around and on the way to the next pedestal they also found a few potions, gems and more gold coins, much of it from desecrated corpses.

The room with the third pedestal had several more shades and once more it was easy to get rid of them with fire, but Shura paused, deciding to experiment a bit. Spreading his magic out, Shura could feel the souls, their presence amongst the world.

"Stop," Shura commanded, seeing the Shades' bodies halt to a standstill. Narrowing his eyes, he uttered, "Obey." Much to his satisfaction the light in the eyeholes of the Corrupted Shades turned from red to silver and they obeyed. Grinning, he turned and repeated order to the other shades and the result was the same.

"You're a necromancer?" Miosotis asked warily.

"Damn, you like to live dangerous, don't you? Using Necromancy in Meridia's temple of all places…" Tamaria commented as she grinned.

"I didn't do it to piss her off... though, now that I know about it, I'm going to keep using it," Shura commented, smiling. "Plus, it'll make our jobs easier as a result. I've no use for them, so..." Looking at each Corrupted Shade, he focused. Then, he commanded, "Die!"

The light faded from their eyes, their shades collapsing into ectoplasmic goo. "Good. I can selectively kill them off."

"Nice, this'll make tomb-raiding easier," Tamaria commented.

"We don't know that for sure," Shura admonished. "For all we know, it works on shades only. We'll have to see if it works on other kinds of undead."

"For now, let's not speak further about controlling the undead in Meridia's temple, okay?" Miosotis commented nervously as she eyed the Beacon on the pedestal.

"Fine," Shura reluctantly agreed, and led the way up the stairs to find the level that will open the door they must go through. Along the way, the also went across an Arcane Enchanter. "Mine," he said simply, snatching it up. He grunted, the Arcane Enchanter coming off.

"You plan on taking an Arcane Enchanter with you?" Miosotis said doubtfully. "You'll have to carry it outside through the temple and…" Miosotis began only to pause when Shura shoved the table-like construct into his Requip space. "…What?"

"Requip Magic," Shura said simply, grinning. "From back home."

"I have travelled through a good part of Tamriel and I have never seen such magic. Where are you from?" the blonde inquired.

Shura contemplated telling her. He trusted her. Not to the extent of Tamaria, but he did, despite only knowing her for a short time. Plus, it wasn't like she'd be able to come to Earthland. "Not from Tamriel, for starters, of from Nirn for that matter." Shura chuckled at the look on her face. "I'm from a world called Earthland. And if you're wondering why I'm here… well, I was sent to be the Dragonborn."

"You're… Dragonborn?" Miosotis asked, blinking.

Shura decided to show her. **"Yol!" **he Shouted, breathing a stream of dragon fire onto the stone wall.

"Then the legends are true… if a new Dragonborn has surfaced, then Alduin…" the blonde trailed off.

"Yeah... I still owe that bastard back for the last time we met," Shura commented. Their conversation was halted as they found themselves outside the Kilkreath Balcony, which was guarded by a Frost Troll.

Not even bothering to step forward and fight, Shura Shouted, "**Fus!"** Pure Force slammed into the Troll, pushing him off the platform and down to his death. He then walked towards the chests. **"Bex! Bex!" **he followed up, the chests becoming unlocked.

"Hm, pretty good armour," Tamaria remarked as she looked at the Glass Armour Gauntlets in one of the chests. "Mind if I take this?"

"Sure," Shura said.

"I doubt I will wish to change my armour this century," Miosotis added.

"Yeah, that Stalhrim Armour is something else, from what I've heard," Shura mused as he eyed said armour. "I hear that Stalhrim is rather rare these days even in Solstheim, though."

"Indeed, I acquired it a few decades ago," the blonde admitted. "And by acquired, I mean looted off some men that tried to kill me. I don't know anyone that knows how to modify Stalhrim Armour these days."

"I might be headed to Solstheim in a few months or a year. If you want, we can look for someone who can make some modifications for you," Shura offered, hoping to both improve his skills in forging and get his hand on Stalhrim.

"I'll take you up on that," Miosotis smiled.

"Alright, I'm done. Let's go," Tamaria declared after adjusting a bit to her new gauntlets.

Entering the Kilkreath Ruins, they walked through a few corridors and had to trigger a few traps from a distance to advance as neither of them would have enjoyed being turned into a pincushion by iron spikes erupting from under their feet. They also found another chest that held a couple of potions of Stamina and some gold coins.

Reaching a larger room, they found themselves facing a literal army of Corrupted Shades, dozens of them armed with swords and bows just like the ones before, only the quality of their weapons was definitely higher, the Steel and Iron arms from before being replaced by Elven and Glass weaponry. Had they been intending to fight them head one, this would have been an issue and would have forced them to retreat back in the corridors from before where they could at least limit the numbers they had to face at one time.

"Stay and obey," Shura commanded, exerting his will over the Shades. At his words, all of the Shades stopped in place and turned obediently towards him, waiting for instructions.

Shura smiled, reaching into his backpack and pulling out multiple Soul Gems. "Shura… where did you get so many of these?" Tamaria asked in surprise as each and every one of the Soul Gems were empty Grand ones, they best money could buy – but also rather rare due to the demand.

"Oh, I did a bit of shopping every time we stopped for the night," Shura replied innocently. That didn't convince both sisters. "Now, both of you can use _**Soul Trap, **_right?" Seeing them nod, he said, "Then grab some Soul Gems and start casting. I'll have the, die as soon as they're all tagged."

Five minutes later, Shura gave the command and three found themselves holding dozens of completely filled Grand Soul Gems.

"I'll keep them in my pack, but let me know when you need any. As you can see, I've got plenty," he commented, smiling. He went up the stairs and activated the first pedestal, reflecting the beam of light into the second which was at the same height.

A few minutes later of walking through a corridor that seemed to go around the large room, they activated the second only this time the beam was reflected a bit upwards at the third Beacon, at the same time as an iron door nearby slammed open. Before going through it, however, they first stopped by a small lab in a corner where a desecrated corpse lay on a table while next to it were a few shelves and a chest. Once more, they found quite a bit of gold on the corpse and even more in the chest, along with several potions, spell books and Soul Gems, a few of them of the Black variety.

Finally going through that door, they soon reached another wooden stairway that would take them to the same height as the third Beacon in the chamber. Of course, it was guarded by a few Shades but they had stopped being a problem. In addition, there were quite a few desecrated corpses laying around as well as a few urns, raising their wealth by a couple hundred gold and a handful of sapphires.

Reaching the pedestal and activating it, they were all rather annoyed that the door that slammed open was on the bottom floor, meaning they would have to go back the way they came. Scoffing, Shura replied, "Not a chance in hell." He then created a shadow platform that allowed both him and the two sisters to stand on, which then levitated downwards at a quick pace.

Tamaria turned to him. "When could you do this?" she asked, surprised at the skill Shura showed.

"Since always," Shura answered, the platform reaching and touching the ground.

"Neat trick," Miosotis commented, intrigued.

With that, they walked through the wide open door and then pushed open the one a few meters beyond it and began descending into the Kilkreath Catacombs, seeking what seemed to be the final pedestal they had to activate before reaching the Necromancer Malkoran.

A few twist and turns later, they found it on a podium surrounded by dozens of lit candles, and around that podium was at least one desecrated corpse for each candle, which they made sure to loot, bringing their wealth up by a good couple thousand gold, with a few potions and Soul Gems in the mix from a chest in the corner.

Exchanging nods with the girls he activated the pedestal unlocking the large wooden double door before them. Descending the two flights of stairs beyond that door they see through an open iron door the Necromancer Malkoran, performing some sort of ritual. Around him were a couple dozen Corrupted Shades standing guard.

So far, their presence had not been detected since they were hidden in the shadows meters away from that doorway, and Shura wanted to keep it that way. In addition, he had suspicions regarding this _task _Meridia had given him. She could've easily forced Malkoran out of her temple by filling it with her light, Beacon or not. That she had not implied that she couldn't. He was more than a little interested in finding out how a Necromancer of mediocre power like Malkoran could hold back the influence of a Daedric Prince.

So he gestured to the two half-elves to wait as he channelled a _**Soul Trap**_, in his hand and shot it straight into Malkoran's back, interrupting his chanting. Thrusting himself forward, Shura launched himself. towards the Necromancer. Once he was close enough, Shura ripped his soul out of his body. He then towards the Corrupted Shades and had to quickly dodge a few arrows and swords before controlling and killing them successfully.

"Why didn't you harvest them with Soul Gems?" Tamaria asked as she lowered her hand as she entered the chamber with her sister in tow, both having taken down a couple Shades while he was dealing with the Necromancer.

Shura didn't answer, digesting the information he had received. Turning his attention elsewhere, he focused on the golden blade shining like the sun.

"Dawnbreaker," Shura muttered, reaching his hand out, only to frown as he felt slightly weaker.

"What's wrong?" Miosotis asked.

"Nothing," Shura waved away, studying his hand. He felt it slightly scar, which confused him a little. "Let's loot the place first, don't touch the sword yet," he decided as he turned his attention to the room at large.

**"It is done. The defiler is defeated. Take Dawnbreaker from its pedestal," **Meridia's voice resounded.

All three of them ignored the voice and focused on looting the place instead, gathering every last gold coin in the room – a little over five thousand put together, thanks to the dozens of human sacrifices Malkoran had used in his ritual – as well as a couple dozen Greater Black Soul Gems that likely held the souls of the sacrifices. They even took Malkoran's robes as they held some interesting enchantments, as did his staff. In addition, there were more swords and bows then they knew what to do with. The arrows they had already numbered in the four digits.

"Ready?" Shura asked his companions.

"Ready for what?" Tamaria asked as narrowed her eyes.

"Hold onto me," Shura instructed, and after exchanging a look the two grabbed his shoulders.

Taking a breath he drew the Dawnbreaker, ignoring the unease he felt, and allowing the beacon to reflect the final beam of light. In a flash they were gone, finding themselves levitating in the sky abode the Temple before the wisp that Meridia currently appeared as.

**"Malkoran is vanquished. Skyrim's dead shall remain at rest. This is as it should be. This is because of you. A new day is dawning. And you shall be its herald. Take the mighty Dawnbreaker and with it purge corruption from the dark corners of the world. Wield it in my name, that my influence may grow," **Meridia commanded.

Shura sneered. "Hell no. I don't like the light anyways, too bright. I'm no priest."

**"It matters not. The plant cares nothing for the rays that bring it the warmth of the sun. As you carry Dawnbreaker, so will my light touch the world," **she declared dismissively.

Shura scoffed, not even bothering to hide it. "I don't care. You want the sword to be used so badly, use it yourself."

**"Do not take that tone with me, Dragonborn," **Meridia hissed, the wisp glowing brightly as it started to form more features, specifically that of a beautiful woman. "**You wield my sword, so you will carry out my will. Do not think that because you are deemed important that you can defy me."**

Shura grinned darkly. "Oh?" Taking Dawnbreaker in his hands, he threw the sword up in the air, breathing in a massive amount of air. "Chaos God's Bellow!" he roared, a massive amount of chaos energy erupting from his mouth and connecting with the sword, destroying it. Only light particles remained of the weapon.

The two half-elf sisters gaped as Shura glared at the woman before him. "Find someone else to do your work for you. Because I don't plan to do so."

"**How dare you?!" **she screeched, her features becoming more prominent. She glared at Shura, her eyes glowing with a bright light. "**You dare destroy my artefact and disrespect me?!"**

"I do when you plan to get someone to do your dirty work for you," Shura commented. He stepped forward, body glowing a crimson-obsidian colour. "I'm no one's slave."

"**Insolent mortal!" **she roared, blasting a bolt of light towards Shura, who dodged along with the Soul-Tamer sisters. She made to blast him again, but Shura was faster. "Chaos God' Turret Gatling!" he yelled, a magical circle appearing before him quickly and firing bullets of magic that pierced through Meridia's form.

"**Arrgh!" **she yelled in pain, clutching her form.

"Chaos God's Malevolent Fist!" Shura uttered, punching his chaos-coated fist forward and sending the Daedric Prince flying, her body hitting and colliding with more of the statues around. She finally came to a halt, a massive trench created before her.

She panted, struggling to stand up. "**W-Wretched child," **she panted, hand raised and blasting a series of light blasts towards the God Slayer. Scoffing, Shura opened his mouth and started gobbling up the magic, feeling the fear and desperation in the magic. Ignoring the slight burn he felt, he patted his stomach.

"**W-What are you?" **she asked, picking herself up weakly. She winced at the wounds on her. "**Y-You are no mere Dragonborn!"**

"I'm a God Slayer," Shura commented, eyes gleaming red. Dashing forward, Shura chanted his next spell. "Chaos God's Maelstorm!" he roared, the currents of swirling energy tearing into Meridia, causing her to scream in pain. Grin widening, Shura continued his onslaught. Grabbing her by the head, he slammed it into the ground several times, before throwing her upwards.

"Chaos God's Blades of Fury!" he chanted, crimson energy blades blasting forward from a magic circle and detonating, making the Daedric Prince scream out in pain as she was skewered and scorched from the attacks.

"A shame that you're weakened," Shura muttered, leaping up and grabbing her form, throwing her down harshly and making the ground crater. "Otherwise, I'd be enjoying this far more than I should." A chaotic fist collided with her temple, making her cry out in pain. "Another shame is that I can't make you bleed."

Bloodlust started to take over Shura's mind as he continued pummelling the Daedric Prince to death, her cries and pleas music to Shura's ears. He cackled, the feel of her broken and fading body bringing indescribable joy to his very being. One final punch practically destroyed her very essence. Grinning widely, he drew in the remaining essence of Meridia with his darkness, sucking themselves inside like it was trapped in a black hole.

Darkness started to spread all over him, coating his form as he laughed loudly, eyes gleaming and glowing, creating a menacing visage. But that wasn't the most terrifying part. On his left hand was wafting darkness, protruding itself from his form. On his right, however, was the element of light. The same kind of light Meridia used.

**Finished! Dear Lord, that was a doozy!**

**Hope y'all liked the chapter. I wanted Shura to take the Dawnbreaker, but it seemed much better that he kill Meridia and gain the light from himself. It made sense, in a way. Shura was in no way going to be doing her dirty work for her. Plus, he's already had a bad history with gods demanding him to do something. I had him kill her to a) actually call himself a God Slayer, and b) gain the ability to use Meridia's light.**

**If you want a reason? Blackbeard from One Piece. If you want the theory behind it? Think of Shura's darkness like a black hole, in which even light can be absorbed. Same method that he uses to absorb her essence and power.**

**Also, had a talk with fg7dragon, so there's no problems. Thank God. **

**A couple more chapters should finish the Skyrim arc, but I'm not 100%. **

**Thanks! Read and Review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:**

After reassuring the two sisters that he was sane enough to be around (along with answering several questions that questioned his sanity) Shura made his way to Solitude, wanting to improve his blacksmithing and build himself some Orcish Armour.

However, the stay in Solitude prolonged itself from a few days to a couple weeks. In that time, Shura had not only made quite a bit of cash but managed to practice his blacksmithing enough to forge not only the Orcish Armour set that he had been planning, but also created Glass Armour and learned how to improve and modify armour that was enchanted in some way.

During that time, he and the Soul-Tamer sisters also made a bit of a name for themselves, clearing out bandit camps and putting down giants that had been terrorizing the area. They even started slaying a couple dragons that made their appearance in the Hold. It was with these dragon appearances that Shura managed reached a startling conclusion (and something that should have been obvious to him from the start); there were too many dragons; specifically, there were more dragons being sighted across Skyrim then there were Dragon Burial Grounds, according to the Dragonstone he retrieved himself.

Which meant that Alduin was not reviving just the dragons in Skyrim, but in all of Tamriel,. Everywhere the Blades had buried them in the past. And they were all coming to Skyrim for one reason or another; either to support Alduin more closely, or hunt Shura down.

Which meant that Shura had his work cut out for him. By the end of the first week in Solitude, he had already slain a dozen dragons and devoured their souls, in the process earning some pull with the various Jarls from whom he had received requests to hunt down the dragons. By the end of the second week, his accumulated dragon souls had been in the forties.

That was not to say killing dragons was all that he had done while in Solitude. A little help here, a little there, and Shura had gained enough goodwill from both the populace and from the Jarl Elisif the Fair, the widow of High King Torygg, enough to be named Thane of Haafingar Hold. To curry more favour from Elisif, he had been secretly allowing her to speak and say her goodbyes to her deceased husband via his improving Soul Magic. This earned her trust and a permanent invitation to all her gatherings.

He had also began practising with the light powers he had gained from Meridia. Through this, he reached a conclusion; he was previously weak to light magic. Ever since he had started practising, he had felt slight pains whenever he started using the Light Magic. However, they had dulled away to mere twitches. It was likely due to his Darkness Curse, as well as him being half-Etherious. Thankfully, it didn't bother him too badly, and he set about recreating or creating spells from spell books or his own imagination.

Anyways, what he was truly aiming for was permission to purchase property within Solitude, which was exactly what he did landing himself the Proudspire Manor, likely the most expensive home he would be buying in Skyrim, a purchase of 35,000 septims, to which another 14.000 septims was added for the interior decorations and furniture. It was all worth it though, a nice safe base within the most important city of Skyrim was worth twice as much money in his opinion. It also came with a beautiful yet strict Housecarl, one Jordis the Sword-Maiden, who looked after the place.

Their relaxation ended, as Shura - through the use of connecting through the darkness - had been informed that Delphine had finally swiped the Horn of Jurgen the Windcaller.

"So, what now?" Miosotis inquired as they packed their gear for the road.

"Time to say goodbye to the Solitude," Shura answered, sighing. He noted that it had been too long since they'd settled down. "Also, a few hours ago, I received a request from the Jarl of Whiterun to deal with a dragon at Whitewatch Tower, just north of Whiterun."

"And from there we can take it easy all the way to Riverwood, right?" Tamaria mused. "Fine, let's go."

Without further ado, the trio left Solitude on foot. Then, once they were properly out of sight of any sentries, Shura teleported them away to their first destination; Whitewatch Tower.

The battle, if it could be called that, was quite dull in Shura's opinion. Oh, sure, the dragon put up quite a fight, but Shura's go-to method worked: put an arrow through its brain and it died in short order. Or a quick beheading from Dragon Slayer. So while the Soul-Tamer sisters bombarded the dragon from different locations to distract it, Harry relied on his bow to put his arrows straight through the dragon's wings after infusing them with some lightning magic. Then, it was there that Shura used his _**Frost Breath**_, bringing it down and killing it with Dragon Slayer, absorbing its soul. Shura hoped that the dragons back in Earthland weren't this easy to kill.

From there, they travelled at a brisk pace to Whiterun, where - after receiving payment for the dragon's death - they settled to spend the night at Breezehome, Shura's house in the city.

"I still think this is a bad idea, you know," Miosotis remarked as they laid in bed that night, the sisters leaning onto Shura's torso from either side. They just finished their usual round of sex, and - like the other times - it was amazing.

"Yeah, I don't trust that bitch. Who knows what she'll try to pull?" Tamaria agreed. "You should have us come with you."

"As much as I would enjoy the company, this is something I'll have to handle on my own," Shura commented, sighing. "Delphine will be paranoid enough with just me showing up; imagine her reactions when two half-elves are with me. She won't care that you're not with the Thalmor. To her, if you're elven, you're an enemy. I'll work on changing that point of view, but until then I won't be able to take you with me when I'm meeting with her and her allies."

"You're just using that as an excuse to keep us all to yourself, aren't you?" Tamaria smirked.

"Oh, definitely," Shura responded, grabbing their asses. "Your asses are mine."

"Like you haven't demonstrated enough so far," Miosotis responded as she gave him a lustful smile that triggered another round of sex.

_(Four Days Later - Sleeping Giant Inn, Riverwood)_

It was easy to teleport back to Riverwood and go to the Inn Delphine was in charge of. After silently flashing the note she had left back in Ustengrav in place of the Horn of Jurgen the Windcaller, she beckoned him to her room. Once he came face-to-face with her, Shura got to business. "We need to talk," he said bluntly.

"Yes. But not here. Come," Delphine spoke as she opened her closet and then its fake back to reveal a descending stairway.

"After you," Shura responded, wanting to make sure that he was not going to be deceived.

Narrowing her eyes, she led him down to the hidden underground room. There were several racks of weapons, bookcases, and in the centre of the room was a large table with a map of Skyrim on it, several recent additions with red all over, some of them already crossed out.

"So, you're supposed to be the Dragonborn," Delphine spoke casually.

"Yes, apparently absorbing a dragon's soul when you slay them gives you that name," Shura remarked, not in the mood for her small talk. "Now then, you took the Horn because you wanted my attention. You have it. Now you have five minutes to convince me not to make you choke on your own blood."

"… So you claim," Delphine said slowly though he could see wariness in her eyes.

"Oh, darling," Shura responded, eyes glowing a maddening red. Darkness started to pool off his form. "You'd be careful not to underestimate me. Many have done so, but now their souls are in my gullet." Shura gave a fanged grin. "Four minutes."

"F-Fine," she stuttered, doing her best to convince herself that she wasn't scared of Shura's display. "I suppose that I can admit that news of _something _happening when you killed a dragon. Assuming, for argument's sake, that you are the Dragonborn, then you will need help."

"And you're volunteering?" Shura raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "What makes you so special?"

"What do you know of the Blades?" Delphine asked, smirking.

"Them?" Shura scoffed. "They started off well, hunting dragons and bringing stability to Tamriel. Then you became the emperor's bitches before finally being thrown away after the White Gold Concordat. I'm surprised there are any of you left."

"That's… an antagonistic way of seeing things." Delphine responded as she scowled.

"I'm not wrong, am I?" Shura asked in response.

"Fine. Our group has made some stupid mistakes in recent times and it led to our near complete destruction," Delphine sighed in admission.

"In other words, you can't provide me with any manpower to help take out the dragons," Shura deduced. "However, I doubt you've called me here for that. Talk."

"I have reason to believe that the Thalmor are behind the return of the dragons," Delphine said.

"While I agree that they are benefiting from the trouble the dragons are causing, I also know quite well that you only think that because you hate the Thalmor and blame everything wrong in the world on them," Shura snorted.

"You-" she made to reply, but Shura cut her short. "Just shut up and listen. I'm not a Thalmor supporter. Hell, I hate the little shits. But going ahead and blaming the appearance of the dragons on them without even a shred of evidence won't solve our problems. Tell me, have you been keeping track of the revived dragons among those marked on the Dragonstone I recovered?"

"Yes," Delphine admitted. "I was actually planning on getting you to prove you're a Dragonborn by reaching a dragon that is being revived and having you kill it permanently."

"Yes, because my reputation as a Dragon Slayer isn't enough," Shura commented sarcastically. "But let's try it." _That way, I can see if I can copy more Shouts. _"Also, it's not just the Skyrim dragons being revived."

"What do you mean?!" Delphine demanded, alarmed.

"I've killed over forty dragons by now. I sense their souls within me so I know they're not the same ones," Shura explained. "And unless there're a lot of unmarked dragon burial sites that are not mapped on the Dragonstone, dragons from all over Tamriel are being revived. And they're coming here for me."

"… Talos save us all," Delphine whispered in dread.

Shura eyed the map on the table. "Now, is this map accurate? Is the Kynesgrove burial site next?"

"Yes," Delphine said, shaking her head to snap out of it. "We should be going; we can talk more on the way. If you need any gear, help yourself." She gestured at the racks of weapons and chests that contained armour.

Nodding, Shura proceeded to go through it all, if only to see if there was anything of interest, taking several skill books and regular ones, spells tomes and potions. He did mainly keep an eye on Delphine as she stripped naked and changed into her Blades armour. He had to admit, for a woman in her mid-forties, she had a nice body, kept in shape from training.

"Ready?" Shura asked.

"Yes, let's go. We have long way ahead of us," Delphine replied.

"Actually, I have a faster method," Shura offered. He grabbed her arm under the elbow as he twisted on his heel, teleporting them just outside Kynesgrove. "We're already here," he informed her before blinking and looking down to see her emptying her stomach… on his boots. "Oh, seriously?" Shura groaned as he backed away from her and retrieved new boots from his Requip space, discarding his ruined ones. "Okay, I'll give you that since I didn't warn you. Still that was _not _nice."

"That… was unpleasant," Delphine gasped out as she stood up.

"You get used to it," Shura replied.

"That… was teleportation, wasn't it?" she enquired, eyeing him warily. "That makes you a mage… Are you from the College of Winterhold?" she asked as she narrowed her eyes in distaste.

"No, though I may consider joining soon," Shura admitted.

"You shouldn't," Delphine spat. "Those fools are completely irresponsible and-"

"Save your breath about your Winterhold rant," Shura interrupted, annoyed. "I've been to Winterhold in passing, and I took a good look at the cliffs that overlook the sea. Winterhold did not sink because some uncontrollable magic the College pulled off. It sank because the Jarl at the time was a greedy, irresponsible bastard that mined directly under the city near the sea, which made it unstable and eventually collapsed. The reason why everyone blames the mages is because the presence of the College there makes it a believable excuse for those who are too stupid to look at the evidence."

"I… I see." Delphine looked like she had swallowed a lemon.

"You shouldn't be surprised by this. The thing that'll keep astounding you about people is stupidity and cruelty." With that, he led the way to Braidwood Inn. "Let's get settled in. It may take a few days for anything of note to happen. In that time, you will explain to me _everything _I need to know."

**XXX**

_(Six Days Later)_

Shura was now extremely bored. It had been six days since they had gotten to the dragon burial ground. That itself wasn't bad. It was dealing with the _bitch _that was Delphine that was the problem.

The woman, for all the bravery she tried to project, was little more than a rat and a leech. She had scurried off when the Blades were being hunted down and hid like a coward, forsaking even those she once called comrades in order to maintain her own anonymity.

Shura was a heartless bastard, whose morality and mindset have been screwed over by demons, an insane and sadistic goddess, and his need to be free. Yet, even he wouldn't abandon his comrades or treat his friends like shit.

It was all out of an inflated sense of self-worth, he noted. She had been a grunt among the Blades. She held no influence, not talent, no power whatsoever. And the only reason she was making such a fuss about helping him defeat the dragons was to use him to get one last shot at fame before dying, and if she got to kill a few of the Thalmor she hated so much in the process, even better.

Honestly, if he wasn't so sure that he needed the Horn, and she was the key to getting it without hassle, he'd have murdered the harpy in cold blood... and then he would've drank her blood.

As such, when Alduin appeared at Kynesgrove and started torching several several buildings. Shura could not be anymore relieved. He went out of the inn he and Delphine were in, magic ready. "Take-Over: Dragon Soul! Motherglare!" In a burst of magic, his Take-Over took place, draconic features equipped. He then took Dragon Slayer out, flying towards the World Eater.

He used the darkness to coat his body, making it hidden from view. Like this, he saw Alduin descend to hover over the dragon burial ground.** "Slen - Tiid - Vo!" **the dragon Shouted at the burial ground.

_Flesh - Time - Undo, _Shura mentally translated. _It looks like it reverses time around the flesh. Interesting. Maybe I can do the same thing when I get back to Earthland. After all, an army of dragons would be a sight to see. _

Before their his eyes, the skeleton of the deceased dragon regrew its flesh and hide as life returned to its bones. "**Sahloknir, ziil gro dovah ulse!" **Alduin uttered to the revived dragon.

_'Sahloknir, I bound your dragon spirit for eternity!' _Shura mentally translated, smiling.

**"Alduin, thuri! Boaan tiid vokriiha suleyksejun kruziik?" **Sahloknir called out.

_'Alduin, my lord! Has the time come to revive our ancient realm?' _came the words.

**"Geh, Sahloknir, kaali mir," **Alduin replied. '_Yes, Sahloknir, my champion.'_

Suddenly, Alduin turned his gaze towards Shura, who frowned. **"Ful, losei Dovahkiin? Zu'u koraav nid nol dov do hi," **Alduin responded.

Shura snarled, dismissing the shadows around him. "I'm going to enjoy spilling your blood, you overgrown garden snake!"

**"Sahloknir, krii daar joorre," **Alduin ordered, before he flew away. Shura turned towards Sahloknir, who blasted a **_Fire Breath _**at him. "**Fus - Ro - Dah!" **the God Slayer responded, Pure Force dispersing the flames easily. "**Ven - Nos - Gaar!" **he Shouted, a huge blast of wind striking the minion of Alduin, making it stagger slightly. "**Yol - Toor - Shul!" **he Shouted again, the blast of dragon fire launching towards the dragon. Before it could move, Shure repeated his Shout from before. "**Ven - Nos - Gaar!" **he Shouted, the wind increasing the flames of the fire. The result...

Sahloknir screeched, the dragon fire burning his body and scales fiercely. Shura flew down, jaws snapped open. When he flew down, he tore into Sahloknir's neck, drawing blood, flesh and bone into his mouth, swallowing the contents in his gullet. Normally, he would've never done such an action. But with the Take-Over overriding his instincts at times, as well as the smell of cooked flesh in the air made him hungry.

Shura quickly absorbed the now dead dragon's soul, his senses driving him to eat. Wasting no time, his abnormally long and powerful jaw started devouring the dragon before him, tearing through flesh, blood, bone and some organs. Shura even devoured more of its essential organs, pushing the heart into his Requip space before he continued eating.

"W-What are you doing?" Delphine shrieked, seeing his actions. Shura ignored her, continuing to chomp down and devour his meal whole. Once he was satisfied, he wiped his mouth, shoving the skeleton into his Requip space, where it joined others.

He panted, bloodlust and hunger fading. "Satisfied?" he asked as he glanced at the Blade that had been annoying him for the past few days, now much calmer after having gained the _**Reanimation **_Shout.

"V-Very," she responded, trying to school her face to not reveal just how shocked and horrified she was. "We… should get back to Riverwood."

"I'll meet you there in a few weeks, I have some other things to do in the meantime. I've wasted enough time waiting for this dragon to be revived," Shura told her as he headed towards the inn, dismissing his Take-Over.

"Fine, I'll try to prepare our next move before I see you again," Delphine agreed.

Shura grunted in response. Half an hour later after Shura had teleported away, it occurred to her that he could have taken her back to Riverwood before going on his own way. She would have probably been even more annoyed if she knew that it was to her hidden underground room in Riverwood that he had teleported to, to retrieve the Horn that he needed to complete the task set for him by the Greybeards.

**XXX**

Shura was watching in boredom as Wulfgar inscribed the final Word of the _**Unrelenting Force **_Shout **Dah, **with magic on the floor of the main hall of the monastery under the dead eyes of the other Greybeards. He had fortunately had their bodies ready for him to deposit their souls in, as he wanted them to work their magic on the Horn.

When he was done, Shura stepped up as usual and waited for the word to be assimilated only for nothing to happen. He almost slapped his head in remembrance, already knowing the Shout. Shrugging, he quickly assimilated the magic for the Word anyway.

Soon enough, Shura found himself surrounded from all sides by the Greybeards who began chanting in the dragon languages.

**"Long has the Storm Crown Languished with no worthy brow to sit upon,"**

**"By our breath we bestow it now to you in the name of Kyne, in the name of Shor, and in the name of Atmora of old,"**

**"You are Dovkhan now, the Dragon of the North. Hearken to it."**

With their Shouting, Shura felt the Words reverberate within his soul, feeling that he was somehow… awakened, like more of his power was available to him, in a way.

**XXX**

_This is way too fucking easy,_ Shura noted as he casually strode through the Dimhollow Crypt, using just fire spells to kill off the couple handful of Vampires, Skeletons and Death Hounds in his way as well as the odd Draugr Deathlord in his way before stopping to watch as a Vampire fought a huge Frostbite Spider. Not bothering with the fight, Shura mentally over what he had done during the few weeks after he had went to the Greybeards.

Since then, he had wandered Skyrim a bit, forming a few contacts, raiding some Barrows, killing, fucking and learning a few more Words. Eventually, he ended up at the Dawnguard base where he joined up, knowing that he needed their guidance to find a certain crypt that was not on any maps he had found so far: Dimhollow Crypt.

Which was where he currently was, only a few meters away from the door leading to the Dimhollow Cavern bellow, waiting for that vampire to finaly kill of that spider. Shura blinked, noting that he was done. _That's good, I guess,_ he noted. He swiftly approached the Nightmaster Vampire from behind. Shura had trained his sneaking abilities with the use of his shadows, making him nigh undetectable.

So he she simply walked up to the vampire, expertly ignored his somewhat maddened mumbling thanks to having accumulated quite bit of experience in dealing with crazies, and beheaded him with his Violent Fierce God Slicer that he instantly summoned and dismissed.

_I've missed using that, _Shura noted. Looting his body and that of the huge Frostbite Spider took all of two minutes after which he ventured through the door at the other end of the chamber. Thankfully, there was only three people there. He sighed when the vampire interrogator killed the tied-up human. Two now.

"Are you sure that was wise, Lokil? He still might have told us something," the other vampire, a female, remarked in annoyance. "We haven't gotten anywhere ourselves with-"

"He knew nothing," Lokil sneered. "He served his purpose by leading us to this place. Now it is up to us to bring Harkon the prize," he declared... before a blade of chaos energy severed his head from his shoulders.

"Lokil!" the female vampire shouted in alarm, the blood from the body being drawn towards a place. Looking around, she saw that it was being drawn towards Shura. He grabbed the large icicle sent his way, crushing it. He moved quickly, summoning the same blade and slicing through her cleanly, absorbing both souls in the process.

Using the shadows, he confirmed that there was no more enemies. So he took his time looting them and any storage areas in the vicinity before walking up to the pedestal that was the focus of the various pillars and braziers down there.

Shura grimaced when a spike shot up and impaled the hand he had pressed on top of the central pedestal. He knew it was coming, but it still hurt! Thankfully, he stitched up the wound with his Blood Magic. Thee inner circle of the design on the floor lit up with purple light.

Turning around, he walked up to the first brazier and pushed it further away from the pedestal to the outer ting on the floor, causing the purple light to spread further. Going counter-clockwise, Shura pushed the next brazier onto the inner ring, before doing the same with the next brazier. The fourth brazier was pushed onto the outer ring, lighting up the majority of the design.

"Last one," he muttered, readying himself. Walking up to the last brazier he pushed in onto the inner ring and watch as the centre of the structure changed, the ground rumbling as stone panels moved away to allow a stone monolith to emerge from beneath.

Quickly finding the required pressure panel, Shura pressed it causing a porting of the stone structure to descend back into the ground, revealing what lay within. Specifically; a female vampire that was distinctly more attractive and any other of her kind he had encountered so far in Skyrim. Raven black hair, delicate facial features with high cheek bones and full lips, a body that even under the cover of her rather typical vampire attire was obviously still curvy given the swell of her bosom and the curve of her hips despite her small stature that would normally imply a rather slim body.

Quickly moving to catch her when she fell from her standing position, Shura was momentarily stunned when his crimson eyes met her reddish-orange orbs.

"Uh… where… who sent you here?" she began slowly, feeling groggy.

"And exactly who were you expecting?" Shura asked, curious.

"S-Someone like... me." The woman frowned, studying his features, specifically his dark skin and eyes.

"A vampire?" Shura enquired, making her look rigid. "Technically, I am, of a sort, a vampire. The Dawnguard would want me to kill you, you know."

"Not fond of vampires, are they?" she scoffed. "Well, here's a simple solution; kill me, you've killed one vampire. But if people are after me, there's something bigger going on," she argued. "I can help you find out what that is."

"Sounds good to me," Shura agreed. "To be honest, I wasn't planning on killing you. I can tell just from a glance that you're quite... different from the other vampires I've met so far."

"Is that so?" she asked, relaxing slightly. "How?"

"You're fully sane, for one," Shura noted, scoffing. "You'd be surprised how many vampires I've run across were talking to themselves when they thought nobody else was around."

"Well… I suppose that's true. I've seen more than a few of my kind being overcome by their thirst to the point their minds begin to decay or simply become animalistic," the woman admitted a bit sourly.

_I hope I don't become like that, _he noted mentally, frowning. He had his moments of bloodlust and insanity, but he had no intention of becoming like those wild vampires. At least, he hoped that he didn't.

"So, where do we go from here?" he asked, getting to the point.

"My family used to live on an island to the west of Solitude. I would guess they still do," she responded, shrugging. "By the way… my name is Serana. Good to meet you," she greeted, smiling.

"Oh, the pleasure is all mine," Shura responded. He smirked as he grabbed her right hand planted a light kiss on the back of it, earning a slight colouring of her pale cheeks. "My name is Shura," he introduced. "Now, before we leave, mind if I ask you a few questions?"

"Go ahead, but I will want to know a few things also. I have the feeling I've been asleep for quite a while," she said, frowning slightly.

"First of all… is that an Elder Scroll?" he asked, turning his attention to the ornate object on her back.

"Yes, it is, and it's mine," she said protectively. Mentally, Shura scowled. Externally, he held his hands up. "Relax, I'm not trying to take it from you. Still, why do you have one of those. I hope you haven't tried reading it… I heard it burns the eyes out of everyone but some very specific people."

"It's… complicated," Serana responded, grimacing. "I can't really talk about it. I'm sorry."

"It's alright, can't expect you to trust me only minutes after meeting me," Shura said, shrugging. "Speaking of time, though, how long were you in there?"

"That's… a good question," she admitted. "It's hard to say. I… I can't really tell. I feel like it's been a long time. Who is Skyrim's High King?"

"There isn't one," Shure responded, making the vampire blink. "The last High King was murdered by one of the Jarls out of religious and political disagreement. There's a civil war going on now between the government and Jarl's faction."

"Oh, wonderful. A war of succession. Good to know the world didn't get dull while I was gone," Serana remarked sarcastically, making Shura smirk. "So, who are the contenders?"

"The Empire supports Elisif, the late High King's widow, but there are many in Skyrim loyal to Ulfric Stormcloak," Shura responded.

"Empire?" Serana blinked. "What empire?"

"The one from Cyrodiil," Shura responded slowly, watching her reaction.

"Cyrodiil is the seat of an empire?" she asked in disbelief. "I must have been gone longer then I thought. Definitely longer then we planned."

"Well, the Cyrodilic Empire was formed near the end of the Second Era by Tiber Septim. Who later, upon his death, ascended to become the Ninth Divine, Talos. We're currently in year 201 of the Fourth Era, and the Third Era had 433 years. So, you've been asleep for at least 634 years, probably over 650 since you don't seem to even recognize the Septim name," Shura summed up, whistling in disbelief. "Well, you look good for a woman over 600 years."

Serana smiled lightly at his attempt at a joke. "You're right. Please, let's hurry. I need to get home so I can figure out what's happened," she said in resignation.

"It's best if you're caught up with all of the current affairs," Shura warned, stopping her.

"True," she admitted.

"Now here's a question that's been bugging me since I've seen you: why were you locked up in there?" he asked as he turned his gaze to the stone monolith.

"I'd… rather not get into that with you, if that's all right," she said sadly. "I'm sorry. It's just that I don't know who I can trust yet. Let's get to my home, and I'll have a better sense of where we all stand."

Shura nodded, understanding her distrust. "Alright, any immediate way out of here?" he asked, looking around.

"Your guess is as good as mine," she huffed. "This place looks pretty different from when I was locked away."

"Fair enough. Let's get out of here," Shura agreed as led her towards the stairs… where they were ambushed by a couple of Gargoyles that came to life. He sighed as he began blasting the closest one with fire while Serana took the initiative to use ice on the other one, not only doing damage, but also slowing it down.

"Okay, now what?" Serana asked once the Gargoyles were dealt with. Her eyes fell on decayed corpse a few feet away and her hands began glowing with power that Shura recognized as Necromancy.

"Serana, I feel that I should warn you that Necromancy draws the worse sort of attention these days. So, once we get out of here and above ground, keep it at a minimum please. The last things we'll need is more people after our heads," he warned.

"Fine, I'll dismiss it before we leave," she agreed as she finished reanimating the Skeleton who picked up a bow and a quiver or arrows.

Shura led her up the stairs to higher ground and then through a door and up more stairs into a large chamber. "Prepare for some enemies," he warned her as he noticed a lever and approached it.

"What makes you say that?" Serana asked.

"Experience," he immediately answered. He pulled the lever, causing several of the coffins along the walls to open to unleash several Draugr, including a Deathlord.

Shura commanded the surrounding darkness to form and create shadow hands, which promptly crushed the Draugr before him. Serana watched, shocked.

The next chamber was significantly larger and held quite a few more enemies including a Draugr Death Overlord, but they quickly perished, their souls harvested into his Soul Gems.

It was there that they also found a Word Wall where Serana stood back warily as Shura approached and allowed the ancient draconic magic to be absorbed into him, granting him another word; **Gan, **which was the Stamina word for the _**Drain Vitality **_Shout.

"What was that?" Serana asked, once she could tell nothing hostile had occurred.

"I'm the most recent Dragonborn. A human with the soul of a dragon, capable of absorbing the souls of dragons to permanently kill them," Shura explained. "This is a Word Wall, which holds a Word from a Dragon Shout. When I get close enough I absorb the magic in it and learn the Word in question."

"I see…," Serana mused, giving him a more appreciative look. Shura turned around, the darkness revealing a door upwards. "That's our way out."

"How did you do that?" Serana asked, shocked.

"I can control darkness," Shura explained. "All types of shadows bend to my will. I used the shadows to make themselves bare, or even help me search for something."

"That sounds amazing. Can you teach me that spell?" Serana asked hopefully.

"Sorry, I'm the only one who can do it, as far as I know," he explained, not wanting to tell her about his time with Tartaros.

"… Do you think I could get it by sucking your blood?" Serana suggested.

Shura glared at the vampire, surprising her. "No!" he hissed, making her jump in shock. He calmed down a little, seeing her shock. "Sorry. It's just... my blood has properties of my magic and power, and it's... chaotic. No one has ever tasted my blood, and I'm not eager to see the results. Trust me, it's not worth it."

"Sorry," she apologised.

"No, it's fine. I just blew up." He led her up the stars and through the door, soon finding themselves before a gate that stood between them and the wilderness of Skyrim.

"I can't say I missed the sun… but the fresh air is definitely welcome," a hooded Serana commented a few minutes later as they stood under the snowing sky.

"The sun harms you even when it's this cloudy, huh?" Shura asked as he frowned thoughtfully.

"Daylight, regardless how diffused it is, still hurts," she admitted. "If I cover myself like this, though, I can travel during the day without much trouble," she added, gesturing at her outfit which, between the long sleeves, gloves and hood, covered her skin from the glare of the sun.

"Hm, I have an idea," Shura replied. He pulled a simple silver necklace from his backpack and quickly inscribed some runes on it. "Put a drop of your blood on these runes, please," he requested. "It's to key you into the magic I'm enchanting this ring with."

"Fine," Serana reluctantly agreed, removing her glove and pricking her finger, drawing blood that was placed on the necklace. Immediately, Shura activated the runes on top of them, seeing them glow.

"It's done. Now, put it on," Shura responded.

"What does it do?" Serana asked warily as she eyed the necklace in the palm of her gloved hand.

"It draws on ambient magic to create a ward around the skin of the person wearing it, deflecting sunlight away," Shura replied. "If I'm right, it should allow you to walk under the sun without issue."

Silently, Serana stared in shock at the necklace before slowly moving to put it on. A flash of light later and her exposed neck and body took on a very weak glow, barely noticeable at all.

"The light… it doesn't burn," Serana whispered gleefully as she removed her glove, raising her hand up to the sky. After just a moment of hesitation, she pulled her hood down and relished in the lack of pain as the sunlight washed over her face. "Thank you," she thanked as she turned towards him with a wide, grateful smile.

"You're welcome, Serana," Shura smiled a little, a surprise even to himself. "Just don't showcase it too much, okay? It would be troublesome if some other vampires found out and tried to steal it from you, or force me to make more. Wouldn't want too many of your kin to die."

"Understandable," Serana nodded.

"Now then, you said that your family lives on an island West of Solitude, right?" Shura asked as he pulled his personal map and waved her over. "Well, immediately west of Solitude there's land, so we'll have to go further… hm, there are two places we could take a boat from on this edge of Skyrim: the Orphan's Tear and the Icewater Jetty… but the Orphan's Tear is a bandit base from what I've heard."

"The Icewater Jetty it is, then," Serana concluded.

"It's north-west of Northwatch Keep," Shura mused. "I could possibly fly, since teleporting will be a bit of a stretch. However, there are two problems with that"

"What?" Serana asked, curious.

"First of all, you haven't feed in over six and a half centuries," Shura deadpanned. "And while I understand that you need to feed, I'm not fond of letting you feed on me. I _can _supply you with different types of blood, though, so the option's still open. The second reason why we're taking the longer route is to familiarise you with the current society. For example, the currency now in use in the Empire is gold coins known as septims." He pulled one such coin to show her.

"Hm, I'll need to get some of that," Serana admitted. "I don't have any coins on me, but I do have some gems that I can sell."

"You should keep those for when you might need them," Shura commented. "I can lend you whatever amount you need right now, but either way we're heading for the nearest bandit camp. You can fill both your belly and your coin bag there."

"That's something I agree with," she commented, her grin exposing his fangs.

**XXX**

(_Four__ weeks later)_

It had been a couple weeks since Serana had been awakened in the current era. Shura had done his best to acquaint her to things common the current day, such as bandit hunting, barrow raids, dragon slaying and other such enjoyable activities.

At the beginning, she was rather overwhelmed by the few flying scaled reptile breathing fire down on them, but after the fourth she seemed to have gotten over whatever was shocking her and moved on.

She had been rather taken aback when she discovered that Shura was currently sleeping with, and close to, the two half-elf sisters he had accompany him. They had met up with Tamaria and Miosotis in Solitude, who berated him for leaving them alone for so long. Thankfully, she didn't raise a fuss over it. Given what Shura now knew of her family situation and how she was turned into a vampire, he was not overly surprised by her acceptance of his more unusual sex life.

Eventually, though, the two elven women departed. Serana was quite blunt about how badly her family could react to outsiders, and how even bringing just Shura with her might be pushing some boundaries. So, he suggested the two head over to the College of Winterhold and learns some more magic. From what he had heard, it was not rare that the master of some school of magic had some tasks they did not have the time to accomplish and had to rely on some of their students, and the rewards for such tasks could vary between coin and new pieces of magic to learn. Which led to him and Serana standing alone before the gates of Castel Volkihar.

"Um, so… before we go in there…," Serana hesitated.

Shura eyed her, making her continue. "I... just wanted to thank you for getting me this far, and..."

"Are you okay?" Shura asked, concerned.

"Yes… Look, I know your friends would probably want to kill everything in here. I'm hoping you can show more restraint than that," she pointed out before continuing at the flat look he was giving her. "I've heard of your reputation as a bloodthirsty Dragon Slayer. Your friends could attest to that. Just, once we're inside, just keep quiet for a bit. Let me take the lead."

"So... I should behave myself?" Shura asked, making Serana hesitate. He shrugged. "Fine. It's your domain. So I'll try and behave myself."

Soon enough, they were being let inside with a few of the watchmen sending word ahead about Serana's return. They were greeted in the large dining hall by a handsome man with dark hair wearing a more ornate outfit the any other vampire he had met before. Given the resemblance to the female vampire, Shura concluded that this must be Harkon, Serana's father.

Given the platters of human flesh and several still living humans in various states of dismemberment laying on the tables, Shura found that he could... somewhat relate? He had his moments of cannibalism, but that was always in his Take-Over forms. And it was always dragons that he ate.

"My long-lost daughter returns at last," Harkon commented. "I trust you have my Elder Scroll?"

Shura growled silently, disgusted at his priorities.

"After all these years, that's the first thing you ask me?" Serana demanded in disbelief, before shaking her head. "Yes. I have the Scroll," she said in resignation.

"Of course I'm delighted to see you, my daughter. Must I really say the words out loud?" Harkon said, a bit too quickly. "Ah, if only your traitor mother were here, I would let her watch this reunion before putting her head on a spike."

Serana scowled, but said nothing.

"Now tell me, who is this stranger you have brought into our hall?" he asked, turning his narrowed eyes toward Shura, who met his gaze evenly.

"This is my saviour, the one who freed me," Serana replied.

"For my daughter's safe return, you have my gratitude," Harkon uttered slowly. "Tell me, what is your name?"

"Dovkhan," Shura replied, inclining his head and meeting the vampire's gaze.

"Dovkhan," Harkon repeated, humming. "Interesting name. By now, my daughter will have told you what we are."

"Vampires, though it did not need to be said… still, you seem different than the others I've seen across Skyrim," Shura responded. _The difference being is that you are more arrogant and vile, _Shura mentally thought to himself.

"For good reason," Harkon smirked. "We're not just vampires. We are among the oldest and most powerful vampires in Skyrim."

"I managed to pick that up," Shura pointed out dryly.

"Indeed, for centuries we lived here, far from the cares of the world. All that ended when my wife betrayed me and stole away that which I valued most," Harkon said in irritation.

"Right… so, do I get a reward for returning your daughter?" Shura asked, knowing full well that what he 'valued most' was the Elder Scroll rather than Serana.

"I was about to suggest that very thing," Harkon said, almost cheerfully. "Yes, you most certainly deserve a reward. There is but one gift that I can give you that is equal to the value to the Elder Scroll and my daughter." He smirked. "I offer you my blood! Take it, and you will walk as a lion among sheep! Men will tremble at your approach, and you will never fear death again!"

Shura mentally snorted. _I'm practically a god amongst men, they already cower at both my name and presence, and ironically, __I both wish for death yet can't die._

_"This _is the power that I offer!" Harkon declared as he transformed, taking his Vampire Lord form. "Now, make your choice!"

"You say that like I have a choice," Shura responded.

"Good answer!" Harkon said in satisfaction. "Now, be still!" he ordered as he approached. Just as he was about to open his mouth and bite Shura's neck, the God Slayer's form turned into inky blackness, the Vampire Lord falling through the darkness.

"W-What?!" he yelled, shocked. "W-What magic is this?!"

"_My magic," _Shura's voice reverberated, making both Serana and Harkon look towards the hall. "_I know Serana said to behave myself, but I'm not too keen on having my blood sucked. That's _my _schtick ."_

"W-Who are you?!" the man yelled, dismissing his Vampire form and backing away slightly, trying to locate the God Slayer. "Who are you?!"

"**Right now," **Shura's voice uttered, making both Serana and Harkon whirl around, seeing pure darkness coalesce into an incorporeal form, crimson supernovas that were in the form of eyes glaring maliciously at the man. Fanged teeth formed, grinning with elongated canines. "**I am your god**."

"N-No! Stay back!" Harkon whimpered, backing away. He got behind Serana, making her yell in shock. "T-Take her! Spare my life and take hers!"

"F-Father, what-" Serana began to say, but was silenced by a smack to her face. "Be silent, you miserable sow! Do your duty and go in my stead!"

"**You disgust me**," Shura spoke, supernovas turning into quasars from hell. He used the darkness to separate father and daughter. "**You can't even face death like a man, instead acting like a coward and offering your daughter. Enjoy the abyss, you piece of shit."**

"No!" Harkon yelled, but the ensuing darkness devoured the vampire, his soul being absorbed into Shura's body in the process. His screams were quickly silenced, the sounds of bone crunching and flesh rending itself from his body came from the scene, his death not quick in the slightest.

Serana watched the scene, holding her cheek in shock and horror. She jumped as a smoky, somewhat corporeal form, the outline identical to Shura's own. "Are you okay?"

"I... I..." Serana made to say, unable to form a proper sentence. Shura placed a hand on her shoulder, making her flinch. "Don't worry. He was a piece of shit anyways, lower than trash. You don't need to concern yourself with him."

The woman turned to look at the remains of her father, only for the darkness to fade away, revealing nothing at all. She didn't say anything, only frowning.

"Let's go," Shura offered. "We can raid the place, find anything of value."

**Sorry for the lack of a proper chapter, but I had to edit Chapter 8 again, as I made an error a reviewer pointed out.**

**Another note: this is the last of my stored chapters for the story. So, I'd have to type, which will obviously take a while. Still, I should get one up quickly.**

**Read and Review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9:**

Both Shura and Serana walked down the path to the Rift, specifically near south-west of Boulderfall Cave at the Redwater Den. The former had spoken (read: threatened) to Garan Marethi, who revealed to him the information about about the Bloodstone Chalice.

Serana didn't say anything to Shura for a while, seeming to digest the fact that her father was dead. When Shura questioned her about this, she replied that she was sorting everything out by herself. The fact that her father was so uncaring and callous to her, even in the face of death, was something she tried to stomach. Shura did his best to comfort her, but he really couldn't do anything else. He didn't know the first thing about comforting people, knowing that he himself had his own personal problems to deal with.

Retrieving the Bloodstone Chalice was ridiculously easy, and once they had reached the Redwater Spring , the two encountered some annoying pests in the form of Stalf and Salonia Caelia. They were two vampires from Lord Volkihar's court, who were arguing about who should get the credit for returning the chalice. Which lead to them attacking Shura and Serana, which lead to them dying rather painfully. The trip back was shorter, but it still lasted a few weeks as neither of them was in any hurry to get back to Castle Volkihar.

It was after returning the Chalice to its rightful place that all the vampires in the castle were summoned to the table by Shura. There were some who tried to attack him for killing their Lord, which lead to him butchering them and taking their blood. From that, many of them backed down rather quickly. Garan Marethi then explained to the gathered group the prophecy about how they could supposedly destroy the sun. Something that Shura snorted at, believing it to be some bullshit.

Garan then informed Shura about Harkon's previous plan to attract a Moth Priest to the lands of Skyrim, so that they could read the Elder Scroll Serana had brought. Taking note of this, Shura dismissed the rest of the vampires to their own tasks, while taking Serana aside, wanting some privacy.

"We need to find that priest first," Shura informed her.

"Where would we look?" the vampire asked, suddenly feeling scared when Shura smiled at her.

"I have a quick method of transport," the God Slayer told her, grin increasing. "But you may not like it." Before she could say anything, Shura burst into shadows, taking her with him.

**XXX**

After calming down from her chasing Shura for a good while due to her throwing up (both of them weren't even sure that vampires _could _throw up), they had set off to find the Moth Priest. The hunt was slow, stretching up to almost a year of searching frantically. On the plus side, Shura took this opportunity to get a good bit of training in. Having honed his Rune Magic, he placed several Gravity Runes across his body, theorising that increasing his centre of gravity - as well as the gravity around him - would push his body to its limit, trying to escape the miniature gravitational field.

This theory was a success. Activating the runes while using Dragon Slayer was an intense workout while slaying dragons and other beasts. He ended up with his fair share of scars and wounds from the insane idea, but he was at least alive. Plus, his Healing Magic was also becoming very proficient in addition, so that was a plus.

In addition, he started to read several Spell Tomes he had purchased from Farengar and other high-level Wizards. Specifically, Telekinesis. This was a skill that he was intrigued by. While it was a simple skill in Earthland, that didn't mean it was useless. Far from it. Shura learned Telekinesis quite easily, and had been building up his strength with it for quite a bit. He started small, using boulders and a couple of bears as target practices. From there, he tried moving onto dead dragons, but found the task to be too draining for him. That didn't mean that he gave up, however.

Clairvoyance was also another spell that he had trained with, and was the spell that actually helped both Shura and Serana with trying to find the Moth Priest. Although, the spell itself was also amazing at helping them find stray loot, which came in the form of chests, bandits or caves. Not only that, but Shura finally managed to find a lead on the Moth Priest, eventually finding him at Dragon's Bridge. Shura didn't waste any time, using the _**Bend Will **_Shout to compel the priest to read the Elder Scroll for the two.

Done with that, and ignoring the now blind old man, they set out to find another Elder Scroll. After meeting with Septimus Signus and fighting several different High Elves, Wood Elfs, Dark Elfs and Orcs and retrieving their blood, they set about to the Shrine of Hermaeus Mora, found in the Jerall Mountains. After a series of trials, they came face-to-face with what was revealed to them to be the Avatar of the Daedric Prince, something that, quite frankly, creeped the shit out of both of them. Its appearance was that of a being of grotesque eyes and tentacles.

"_**Come closer, mortals," **_the disgusting being uttered, making both flinch. "_**Bask in the presence of Hermaeus Mora, guardian of the unseen, and knower of the unknown."**_

"Also a disgusting piece of shit," Shura muttered, eyes narrowed. "Just give us the Oghma Infinium, and we'll be on our way."

"_**But, I disgress," **_Hermaeus Mora rasped, drawing closer towards the two. _**"I am in need of a champion, Dragonborn. Septimus has served his purpose, but I want **_**you."**

"Divine Radiance!" Shura shouted in response, light spilling from his cupped palms and releasing as he stretched upwards, filling the entire cave with light. Serana was already protected, thanks to the rune on her necklace, but the Daedric Prince reeled back in shock and pain.

"Serana, quick!" he shouted, glaring at the grotesque being. "Get the book! I'll distract him!"

"But-" "Go!" he shouted in response. Hesitating, the vampire ran past Hermaeus Mora, who was now flaring with dark power.

"_**You DARE-" **_"Chaos God's Blades of Fury!" Shura shouted in response, blades of chaos energy firing at him and detonating. He bellowed, pain wracking his body. "**_ARRRGH!" _**he roared, his voice reverberating across. "_**Insolent fool! Do you not realise that you-"**_

"Shut up!" Shura yelled, jumping up and firing off a Chaos God's Evil Explosion. "For such a master of knowledge, you sure are stupid when it comes to fighting! There's usually not this much talking!"

_**"Die!" **_Hermaeus Mora roared, tentacles flying and heading towards Shura. He dodged and weaved out of the way, jumping off each tentacle. "**Fus - Ro - Dah!" **he Shouted in response, pushing the Daedric Prince back and making him collide with the wall.

"Chaos God's Violent Wrath!" Shura followed up, swinging his fist and creating small blades of chaos energy that coalesced, forming a whirlwind of energy that enveloped Hermaeus Mora, injuring him even further.

"I got it!" Serana shouted, Oghma Infinium in hand. Nodding, Shura took hold of Serana and prepared to leave, but not before finishing the Daedric Prince with one last attack. "Chaos God's Bellow!" he roared, the attack drilling towards Hermaeus Mora, enveloping. He was screeching in pain, roaring in defiance as he was disintegrated.

"_**I-Impossible! I am Hermaeus Mora, holder of thousands of secrets!" **_he wailed, fading away. "**_You will _****pay _for this, Dragonborn! You will pa-"_** He couldn't finish off his threat as he was consumed entirely, the attack still continuing.

After a few seconds, the attack ceased, Shura checking the entire place and inspecting if the Daedric Prince had survived. Seeing that he hadn't, Shura nodded, pulling the shocked stupid Serana with him. "Let's go."

After getting over her shock, Serana went with Shura, teleporting away, him holding the book in her hand. Their next stop was the Tower of Mzark. After traversing the tower and finding the Elder Scroll for the _**Dragonrend **_Shout, they escaped, Serana feeling annoyed.

Turns out that the Elder Scroll held nothing about the information needed in regards to the vampire prophecy. Serana grew even more annoyed when she realised that the Elder Scroll that they needed was in the hands of her mother.

They were about to continue their journey when they encountered a very large bear, which roared at them. Just as Serana was about to move, Shura killed it with a quick arrow through the head, its life ending easily. Shura approached the dead creature, about to save it for food later, when he caught an arrow aimed at his face.

He snarled, turning towards who had shot the arrow, only to raise an eyebrow at seeing a familiar figure: Aela the Huntress.

"I feel like we've been here before," Shura muttered, crushing the arrow.

"You stole my kill again," Aela noted, snarling. Her werewolf features started to show, her face becoming feral.

"Technically, it attacked us, so it's not your kill," Shura noted. He turned to look at Serana, who got into a defensive stance. "What's wrong?"

"Werewolf," she hissed, fangs showing. Aela frowned at her, before glaring. "Vampire," she snarled. Her lycanthrope features fully forming. The two got into a deadly face-off, fangs raised. Immediately, Aela leapt at Serana, claws at the ready. Serana shifted into her Vampire Lord form, roaring at her. Just as the two were about to attack...

Shadowy hands caught both Aela and Serana, catching them by surprise. The hand holding the werewolf then slammed her down, making her grunt in pain. Removing the darkness, Shura pinned Aela down, glaring at her.

"I may be civil with you," Shura growled, crimson eyes gleaming, "but that doesn't mean I'm going to allow you to attack my companion, because of a stupid feud between you two. Now, are you going to calm down?" Seeing her snarl and bite at him, Shura growl became more louder, his arms gripping her wrists and knees on top of her legs. "I _said, _are you going to _calm down?"_

Aela paused, seemingly shifting into a partial transformation. She had what looked to be a submissive look on her face. Staring into Shura's glowing eyes, she groaned, cursing herself. She was going into heat.

Shura was about to move off of her, when she pushed her head up and kissed him roughly, making him freeze. The surprise lasted long enough, allowing Aela to push her tongue inside his mouth. Shura moved away, looking at her incredulously. "The hell is wrong with you?!"

Aela panted, moaning in slight loss at being interrupted. "In heat... need to... mate."

Shura stared at her, understanding dawning on his features. "Huh, didn't know werewolves do that..." He stopped talking, seeing Aela crawl towards him, growling. His eyes narrowed. Should he? He didn't know her - actually, that wasn't even a reason. He's fucked other women that he'd only met for a few weeks, minutes being the bare minimum.

"Fuck it," he muttered, picking the werewolf up and slamming his lips against hers, kissing her roughly. Aela responded in kind, clawing at his clothes. A cough sounded out, making Shura disconnect and look towards Serana, now out of her Vampire form. Aela started kissing his neck, licking and biting roughly, making Shura grunt.

"Are you two just going to... do that while I'm here?" she asked, glaring at him. She was surprised when he glared back.

"Either shut up or join in. Pick an option," he responded, ripping off her Ancient Nord Armour and cupping her naked breasts.

***LEMON***

Serana was stunned into silence, seeing the two about to fuck before her. Annoyed with her silence, Shura commanded his darkness to drag her towards him, grabbing her chin and kissing her roughly, a sound of surprise leaving her lips. The God Slayer kissed the two women before him roughly, done with stripping Aela and now doing the same to Serana.

Her pale skin was peppered with kisses, Shura reaching to her collarbone and sucking on a particular spot there. Serana moaned loudly, cradling his head. Shura retreated, creating a partial dome out of darkness, shielding them from the sky slightly and allowing them privacy. A shadowy platform formed under them, the element feeling soft to the touch. Shura pushed the two women off of him as they landed on the makeshift bed. He quickly unbuckled his pants, revealing his now solid nine inch dick. It seemed he had grown over the time he'd been in Skyrim.

"On your knees," Shura commanded, his crimson eyes staring at the two women in lust as they did as they were told. Walking forward, he turned towards Aela. Grabbing her brown hair, he shoved his cock deep into Aela's throat, making her gag roughly. She moaned, however, seeming to like the rough action. Serana pouted a little, not enjoying being left out.

Shura didn't waste any time, thrusting his cock in and out of the werewolf's throat, making spittle fly and solid moans to cry out. She whimpered gently as she was throat-fucked brutally, her fingers going towards her pussy, eager for some pleasure herself. Seeing this, Shura turned towards Serana. "Lick her."

"But-" "_Now." _With that, Serana got down, grabbing Aela's hips and darting her long tongue towards her cunt. She gently licked it, getting a shiver from the werewolf. Serana continued to do so, getting more confident as she did so.

Shura grunted, the tight feeling of Aela's throat around his dick feeling amazing. He wrapped her hair in his hand, using her face as a cock-sleeve and ramming his dick deep into her throat, hitting the back each time. She moaned and gagged, face contorted in pain. Yet, he could tell that the bitch loved it, given the wild look in her eyes.

Serana kept on lapping up Aela's juices, face grinding against her pussy. She moaned, bringing Aela over the edge. It seemed that she was particularly sensitive while in heat, something that both Shura and Serana took full advantage of. The vampire reached up, groping Aela's tits, feeling surprisingly soft. The werewolf moaned loudly and wantonly, something that egged Shura on as he kept fucking her throat.

He stopped quickly, moving slowly out of her mouth. Aela whined pitifully, only to yelp as Shura picked her up, Serana disconnecting herself from her pussy. He then had her kneel, face down and ass up. Shura grinned, enjoying the view. He slapped her ass roughly, making Aela yell out. "A wonderful position," Shura noted, grinning maliciously, "for a wonderful bitch such as yourself."

Kneeling down and lining himself up with her cunt, Shura penetrated her deeply, making Aela howl in delight. He also noted that she had came, right there. While slightly disappointed, he at least could move inside her with more ease.

His larger body overshadowed her as he leaned against her back, pinning her down. "Bitch," he growled, thrusting forward harshly. She screamed, enjoying how good Shura was making her feel. She shivered between his slamming thrusts, grunting and moaning and whimpering while slamming her hips back against his.

Shura chuckled deeply, biting and nipping at Aela's back, gripping her breasts tightly between his hands. "You naughty bitch."

Aela snarled slightly as she moaned, something Shura took notice of. Gritting his teeth, he slammed down even harder, her velvety walls trying to milk his dick. "What, you don't like being called a bitch?" he taunted as he continued thrusting. "That's what you are. A needy, desperate bitch that'll soon be covered in my cum! Ready to mark you as mine!"

Aela's eyes closed in sheer ecstasy as cried out her release again, riding the wild and wonderful wave of pleasure. She bucked, thrashed and quivered under his muscled body and arched like a cat against him. Grinning, Shura continued thrusting into her, enjoying her werewolf features contorted into pleasure.

Serana walked towards the two, now fully naked. Taking note, Shura wrapped his arm around her waist, grunting as he kissed her, her breasts mashed against his chest.

"Fuck!" Aela moaned. "Oh fuck! Don't stop! Please don't stop!"

Shura's other hand snapped out, yanking Aela's hair back as her back arched. The pain spurred her on, crying out. "Yes!" she howled happily, pleasure written across her face. "Fuck me! Use me!" Her ass slapped against his hips.

Shura's fingers snaked towards Serana's cunt, playing with it. The vampire moaned, already extremely wet. Smirking, Shura continued to finger her furiously, enjoying the increasing pleasure that was on Serana's face. "Ooooh," she moaned, shuddering slightly. Liking her reaction, Shura repeated it, her moaning increasing.

Still holding onto the vampire, Shura dropped Aela onto the ground, using his foot to shove her head roughly against the ground, making her grunt. The ground grinded against her flushed, furry face. Ignoring the pain, she focused on the pleasure, tongue hanging out of her mouth as Shura continued his rough fucking.

"Oh fuck!" she screamed against the ground, arched in unspeakable ecstasy. Her body was quivering and shaking as her mouth hung open in a silent scream and her hazy eyes staring at nothing. Her pussy convulsed and tightened around Shura's cock, making him groan and bury himself to the hilt in her orgasming pussy. Aela moaned and twitched, her hips wriggling as his cock throbbed and spasmed inside her. Shura roared loudly as he started spraying her walls white with a big load of hot potent cum.

Aela moaned pathetically as Shura removed his foot from her head, withdrawing his cock, which was now limp. He allowed the werewolf to drop to the ground, before pushing Serana down to the ground on her back. Eyes glowing with lust, Shura grabbed her hips, drawing her towards him as he penetrated her, his cock already hard before entering.

A fun little fact he had realised: he could keep himself hard as he directed most of his blood to his cock using his Blood Magic.

The two moaned as Shura sheathed himself fully to the brim. Grabbing her by the neck, Shura kissed the vampire roughly, bruising her lips and kept on sucking on them. He then moved to her neck, biting down. Serana cried out in pleasure, before doing the same to him. Shura allowed it to pass, his mind reeling back from the _delicious _taste of her blood. He thrusted harshly as hit bit down, mentally enjoying both the taste and the red blood flowing from her pale skin.

Serana cried out, eyes rolling into the back of her head as her tongue - tipped with blood - hung out of her mouth. Her body shook as she orgasmed quite strongly. Shura chuckled, thankful for the extra lube as he pressed her down and groped her breasts roughly. He grinned, slapping the tits each time, enjoying the contrast of the red marks from his slaps on her pale skin. He moaned, fucking the drunk-looking vampire.

"More..." she moaned weakly, panting harshly. "M-More..."

Shura raised an eyebrow as he continued fucking her. It seemed his blood was like an aphrodisiac, which confused him. His magic was somewhat tied to his blood, meaning that it was chaotic, demonic and, quite frankly, dark. Yet, she still enjoyed it. Shura shrugged, biting down on her neck again. Rising back up, blood spilled from his mouth onto her body as his thrusts became rougher and sharper.

Finally regaining consciousness, Serana quickly bit into his own neck, blood pooling from his neck and down his body. She stared at the liquid, lapping it up like a dog. She yelped as Shura slammed her into the shadowy surface, slightly cracking it. It was a good thing she was a vampire, and thus more durable than any human.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Serana shrieked, eyes wide as she grinned deliriously. Shura moaned, kissing her. Their tongues connected and danced as they continued fucking. Eventually, they both reached their high at different times. Serana screeched as she orgasmed again, coating his cock. Shura kept on thrusting for a few more minutes, before grunting. He slowly exited Serana, making her pant and look at him in confusion. A grin was her answer.

She yelped as he dragged her towards where Aela laid. Making her lie down beside her, Shura roared as he fired rope after rope of cum onto the two women, coating their face, breasts and stomachs. After a while, Shura stopped cumming, panting.

"Holy... shit," he panted, lust dropping a little. He stared at both women, who licked up his cum, both on themselves and each other. He grinned widely, enjoying the view. So much so that his dick got hard again.

"A-Again?" Serana panted, looking at the shaft in shock. She moaned as Aela turned her around and kissed her, making her reluctantly join in.

Eyes glowing, Shura walked towards them, intent on defiling more of their bodies.

***END LEMON***

**XXX**

As they headed back to Volkihar Castle to go through the Soul Cairn, Serana purposefully looked away from Shura's fanged grin, her cheeks a surprising crimson.

"S-Stop that!" she blushed, trying in vain to ignore Shura's eyes trailing her form. He chuckled.

"I don't know why you're so embarrassed," Shura commented. "There's literally nothing I haven't explored. Like when I-"

"No, I don't want to hear it!" Serana exclaimed loudly, making Shura laugh loudly. They entered the castle, using Serana's blood to open the portal to the Soul Cairn, where the Elder Scroll supposedly was. When Aela had woken up - after being fucked stupid - she had made to apologise, only for Shura to wave it away. With that, she went to go with her Companions, while the other two went about their own way.

While entering the Soul Cairn was somewhat scary, things were made easy when Shura used his Soul Magic and _**Soul Trap **_to capture any stray or attacking souls that got too close, capturing them in Soul Gems that laid all across.

Overall, the trip through the Soul Cairn was most rewarding. Not only did they get the Elder Scroll they needed, but Shura also gained two more Shouts; one to summon the undead dragon, Durnehviir, while the other to summon a trio of undead minions, summon a Boneman, Wrathman and Mistman from the Soul Cairn. Shura also managed to learn the spell to summon the skeletal horse Arvak by finding its skull in the Soul Cairn, giving him a mount he could summon at all times. The following trip to the Ancestor Glade where they could read the Elder Scrolls was remarkably easy by comparison.

The next trip to find Auriel's Bow, however, quickly started to get on their nerves. What with all the different waypoints the snow elves had. Finding out that the whole prophecy was essentially a fake perpetuated by a vampire snow elf did not make things better, either. In retaliation, Shura killed any snow elf he could see, along with killing Arch-Curate Vyrthur, while taking the Bow. So, that was nice.

While done with their trip, Shura had Serana help him make Bloodcursed and Sunhollowed Elven Arrows, something Shura scavenged from any dead elf or hiding place that he could find. Serana was annoyed, but listened to Shura as he did the same thing.

After heading towards Castle Volkihar and confronting the entire vampire clan about everything that happened (read: ordering the vampires as to how they would feed and turn others, and killing any who resisted), the two of them had headed to the College of Winterhold to meet up with Tamaria and Miosotis, who had been there for quite a while. They were expecting to find them causing a bit of a mess, especially knowing Tamaria's personality, but getting drawn into the unfolding shitstorm that was the excavation of Saarthal and the ensuring bullshit that followed was _not_ what the two were hoping for.

However, seeing an opportunity, Shura interfered in the excavation, hoping to profit from this. And he did, as he found himself the proud possessor of the Staff of Magnus, Eye of Magnus, the memories of the four members of the Psijic Order that had arrived to retrieve the two artefacts, and in the position of Archmage, handed over to him by Tolfdir. Shura was confused as to how he became so wealthy and profitable, but didn't question it too much. After staying there for a while and practically devouring the knowledge of magic available to him, Shura went with the others to leave the College.

Now left with some free time, they planned to do some tomb raiding to fill their pockets with some ancient treasures and allow Shura to learn a few more Words of Power. Soon enough, however, their goal was diverted to the search for the mythical Aetherium Forge and some piece of Aetherium for it to function properly.

The group had ventured to the Dwemer ruin of Arkngthamz, located deep within the Jerall Mountains. Then to the ancient Dwemer bridge Deep Folk Crossing, located north of Markarth. And then finally, to the ancient Dwemer ruin of Raldbthar, located just east of Irkngthand. They would have had to go to Mzulft as well, but they had all agreed to pick up the Aetherium shard there when Shura had retrieved the Staff of Magnus months.

After that, they had been able to venture beneath the Ruins of Bthalft to find the Aetherium Forge deep in the heart of the volcano it had been built in. Knowing that there would be no other samples of Aetherium to be found, at least not easily, Shura used the Arcane Enchanter he possessed forge make as many Aetherium Crest's as needed at a later time. Hours later, he had created a few Aetherium Crests and out of them Aetherial Crowns, Shields and Staves for each one of the group.

After _that, _Shura set about performing a task that he had been putting off for quite some time: cleansing Azura's artefact. He was promptly reminded as they exited the Ruins when Azura appeared right there, in front of the group. While everyone else knelt (Tamaria did so reluctantly), Shura stared at the Daedric Prince with a confused expression on his face. "Azura. What's wrong?"

**"You haven't started on cleansing my artefact," **the Daedric Prince answered, frowning. Shura flinched a little, remembering something.

"Sorry, been busy. I'll get in on it," he replied.

"**Thank you. Also, may I ask why you've been killing Daedric Princes lately?" **she enquired, looking at Shura questionably. Tamaria, Miosotis and Serana looked at him in shock at hearing his achievements.

"Meridia I killed because she planned to use me as a lackey. Quite frankly, I've gotten sick of that," Shura explained, stray thoughts of Nifrit in his mind. "But Hermaeus Mora was in self-defence. Plus, that fucker was disgusting. I had to kill him on pure principle alone."

Azura stared at Shura, annoyance written across her face. "**I see. Just note that the other Daedric Princes won't be eager to meet you."**

"They don't plan on attacking me?" he questioned, confused.

"**Some do, but knowing that you possess magic capable of permanently killing them, they were advised against doing so."**

"Ah," Shura nodded. "So, your artefact?"

"**Ah, yes. My Star. You should be able to locate it, roughly south-west of this distance."**

"Looks like we're on _another _quest," Tamaria grumbled.

"Aw, cheer up," Shura commented, turning towards her. "At least you have our company along the way."

"Yeah, my sister, a vampire, and a Dragonborn," Tamaria listed off, raising her hands in fake cheer. "Whoo."

The others chuckled as Azura looked amused.

After purifying Azura's Star, they then were directed by said Daedric Prince to other locations, where other Daedric Princes had several tasks for them. Shura was about to deny, but thought about all the valuable loot and weapons he could collect along the way. So, he agreed. Just as they were about to get started on their journey, Shura received a request from someone who identified himself as the Ebony Warrior for a fight to the death. Apparently, the new Dragonborn was the worthiest opponents the experienced Redguard warrior could find that was capable of sending him to Sovngarde.

Shura decided to indulge him, bringing Dragon Slayer to the fight and dismissing his Gravity Runes. And so, he stood across the Ebony Warrior, standing on top of the Last Vigil, high up in the Velothi Mountains. Tamaria, Miosotis and Serana stood by the side, watching in anticipation.

Shura saw the man take up his Ebony Sword, his bow strapped to the side. The God Slayer cracked his neck. "Nice set of weapons you got there."

The Ebony Warrior didn't say anything, only staring at Shura blankly. He frowned. "You don't talk much, do you?"

"No," was the short reply.

"Take all the fun out of it," Shura muttered, sword at the ready. The two warriors stared at each other for a moment, weapons at the ready. At an unspoken signal, they both charged at each other. Their swords clashed, sparks flying. The Ebony Warrior was pushed back slightly, Dragon Slayer's bulk proving too much for him to handle. Just as he was about to lose the power struggle, he casted Frost Cloak, catching Shura and his sword in a sheen of ice.

Taking advantage of this, he swung his Ebony Sword towards the frozen Shura. Just as the sword was about to connect to his neck, the ice cracked a little, before the Ebony Warrior was bathed in dragon flames, courtesy of the _**Fire Breath **_Shout. To its credit, the ebony armour managed to hold up to the flames slightly, only scorch marks. Just as he was about to retreat, Shura appeared behind him, Dragon Slayer raised.

The Ebony Warrior only had time to cast Ebonyflesh in a split second, before the sword sliced at his side. Fortunately for him, the armour held slightly, receiving small cracks, but the force from the swing made him fly, almost falling off the Velothi Mountains. He held himself in place barely, scrambling for any ground to cling unto. He received no rest, however, as Shura casted Chain Lightning at him, making him duck and roll, pulling out his bow and trying to snipe him.

Shura raised Dragon Slayer as a shield, blocking the arrows. Grinning, he raised and slammed the sword onto the ground, cratering the ground in the direction of the Ebony Warrior and causing a shockwave to be produced. Tamaria, Miosotis and Serana did their best to regain their footing as the ground shook. The Ebony Warrior, however, buckled and tripped, the ground breaking under him. He fell, finding no purchase to hold on to. As he fell, he hit the side of the mountain, tumbling and grunting as he was bombarded by shards of rock as he fell.

He finally landed in a heap, his armour still holding strong. That didn't mean that he felt no pain, however, as his head hurt from the amount of times he collided with the side of the mountain. He groaned, trying to rise, only to meet the tip of Dragon Slayer, aimed at his face.

"Yield?" Shura asked, looking down at his opponent. The Ebony Warrior sagged with relief, glad.

"I yield. Now please. Kill me, and send me to Sovngarde," he uttered, head bowed. Without any hesitation, Shura raised the blade up and beheaded the man, his head flying. Shura quickly caught the head, in order to preserve the helmet. He then looked down towards the Ebony Warrior's dead body, which was covered with Ebony Armour.

After equipping himself with enchanted Ebony Armour, they made their way to the locations Azura had given them. The first Daedric Prince they dealt with was Mehrunes Dagon. The quest consisted of recovering the shards of Mehrunes' Razor and making it whole again… as well as killing his homicidal worshipper. Their reward was Mehrunes' Dagger, a weapon that could potentially kill instantly, something that Shura pocketed.

The next Daedric Prince was Mephala. The task was rather simple in the form of recovering the Ebony Blade from Dragonsreach in Whiterun Hold. While Mephala had advised him that to increase the blade's power he needed to sacrifice some people that trust him by killing them with the black katana, Shura scoffed. He simply channelled his magic through the blade, increasing its strength slightly. Nodding, he stored the blade away, moving on.

As the group kept on travelling, dragons began seeking them out and with them were Cultists, Shura noting that they were followers of Miraak, the first Dragonborn. Through a bit of some snooping through the shadows, Shura found that Miraak resided in Solstheim, near the Sea of Ghosts.

There, he was reminded by Serana about the Black Books that belonged to the now dead Daedric Prince, Hermaeus Mora. Thankfully, with his death, his underlings seemed to have died as well, allowing Shura to claim the Black Books quite easily.

The final task was, of course, fighting Miraak himself. Walking up to the Word Wall present, Shura cracked his neck, ready to absorb the knowledge. He placed his hand on the wall, receiving the last Words of Power for the _**Bend Will, Devour Soul, **_and _**Dragon Aspect **_Shouts in the Apocrypha. He then told Serana, Tamaria and Miosotis that he would deal with Miraak on his own, as he felt that he could fight his fellow Dragonborn by himself. Reluctantly, they all agreed.

Now, Shura stood in front of a snarling ice dragon, its fangs bare for him to see. Shura had an unimpressed look on his face, having seen much bigger - and slain even bigger - dragons before. Not even bothering to taunt the creature, Shura Shouted, "**Gol - Hav - Dov!" **

The dragon's eyes dimmed, under his control now. "**Hail, thuri. Your thu'um has the mastery. Climb aboard and I will carry you to Miraak," **it uttered.

Nodding, Shura climbed on top of the beast, seeing it flap its wings and fly away. The flight to the tower-like structure within Apocrypha was not long. Along the way, Shura enslaved a couple more dragons to his will as they tried to breathe fire and frost upon him and his mount. He hummed, quite liking the idea of having several dragon serving him. It was much more appreciated than killing them. Landing, his eyes did not move away from Miraak, who was waiting by the small pool of corrupted water that was a common sight in this realm. Dismounting, he warily approached the ancient Dragonborn.

"The time for talking has long passed," Miraak spoke. "**Kruziikrel! Relonkiv! Vulyolwunduniik!** Now!" Lightning was shot at him, making Shura dodge narrowly. Seeing that the lightning followed him, Shura Shouted, "**Fus - Ro - Dah!" **The _**Unrelenting Force**_ Shout blasted the lightning away, giving Shura some breathing room. "**Yol - Toor - Shul!" **followed, the fire heading straight towards Miraak, who responded with his own _**Unrelenting Force **_Shout, dispersing the flames.

"**Mul - Qah - Diiv!" **Miraak Shouted, now shrouded in an ethereal armour from the _**Dragon Aspect **_Shout.

Snorting, Shura Shouted, "**Joor - Zah - Frul!" **The Shout hit Miraak, making the elder Dragonborn yell in pain and shock as he was weakened significantly. Shura ran forward, punching Miraak straight in the face, his the armour cracking from his face, due to being weakened. To his credit, he didn't give up, taking his sword out and engaging Shura. The God Slayer decided to use his Ebony Blade this time, clashing with Miraak.

"Hermaeus Mora is laughing at us," Miraak commented, sparks flying through the air as the two Dragonborn fought. Ducking, Shura swiped at Miraak's legs. Miraak jumped, bringing his sword upwards in an attempt to catch Shura by surprise. Shura just blocked the attack, pushing Miraak away as he smirked.

"Hermaeus Mora is dead," Shura commented, enjoying seeing his shocked face.

"What?! Impossible!" he bellowed in shock.

"Not so. Haven't you felt his power fade from you for a while?" Shura asked, dashing forward and continuing to clash with Miraak. His surprise and shock gave Shura an advantage, allowing him to get in more cuts than his opponent.

"I do not believe this!" Miraak yelled, making Shura dodge and duck as his swings became faster, fuelled by rage. "All of my plans! For nothing! If he is dead, then-" Miraak paused, allowing Shura to run him through with the Ebony Blade. Miraak grunted, Shouting "**Fus - Ro - Dah!" **at Shura, who was blasted away, his sword stuck in his gut.

_So _that's _how the Shout feels like on the other end, _Shura thought, feet sliding against the ground. Seeing Miraak remove his sword and throw it away, Shura retrieved it via the surrounding shadows. _Doesn't feel nice._

"If that's the case," Miraak continued, greed written across his face, "then you know where his Black Books are. Specifically, the Oghma Infinium. You will tell me where they are!"

"Yeah, no," Shura denied easily, weapon raised.

"You will! With those artefacts in hand, I will finally take control of this Apocrypha, and become the one and only _true _Dragonborn!" A mad grin overtook Miraak's face, eyes alight. "Then-"

"Shadow Dance!" Shura interrupted, the darkness coming and slicing at Miraak, who dodged. He received several cuts for his endeavour. "Blood Make: Blood Stakes!" was the following response, blood moving from upgraded ebony-covered gourds that created spikes out of blood, piercing Miraak's feet and making him yell in pain.

He was about to finish the Dragonborn off, before he dodged a blast of frost from a dragon trying to blindside him. "**Tiid - Klo - Ul!" **Shura Shouted in response, movement slowing around him, crawling to a standstill. Eventually, both the dragon and Miraak had practically frozen, moving very, _very _slowly.

"Take-Over: Dragon Soul! Scissor-Runner!" Shura yelled, jumping up as the magic took place. Although, it was much more different than before. Whereas before, he'd take the appearance of himself in his humanoid shape with draconic features, here he became a full-blown dragon. He took on the full form of Scissor-Runner, with the only difference between him and the deceased dragon was that his form was more bulked up, and instead of the yellowish eyes the previous dragon had, his were his usual crimson.

He didn't know why specifically his Take-Over form changed, but he theorised that it was probably due to the draconic attributes and souls he had began absorbing.

Shura flew quickly towards the prone dragon, jaw raised. He reached the dragon and bit into its neck, blood flying. As he continued to kill the dragon, Shura had to watch in partial awe as the blood also froze in mid-air, due to the effects of the Shout. He quickly absorbed the dragon's soul and allowed its body to fall to the depths of the Apocrypha, turning back to Miraak, who was now staring in awe at his dragon form. It seemed the effects of his Shout had worn off.

Opening his maw, Shura fired off a powerful Dragon Roar, making Miraak move out of the way. Although, he was still blown back by the force of the attack. Shura flew down, quickly dismissing his Take-Over form and slicing Miraak's arm off, Ebony Blade in hand. The elder Dragonborn roared, holding his bleeding stump in pain as he arm laid uselessly beside him.

"H-How?!" Miraak grunted out, glaring at Shura. "How did you do that?! How in _Oblivion_ did you turn into a dragon?!"

"Fuck you, that's how," was Shura's cheeky response.

Growling, Miraak looked like he was about to Shout, but Shura punched him in the gut, the Words dying on his throat. Several other punches rammed into his body, the _**Dragon Aspect **_Shout broken as Shura ripped through the ethereal armour like tissue paper. Shura snarled, his eyes gleaming. He started pounding Miraak into the ground, cracking it as it splintered and broke.

Looking at the pitiful form of the Dragonborn, Shura did two things: rip his head clean off his shoulders, Miraak's spine coated in blood as it was now snapped from the other half found at the stump of his neck, and absorb his soul. The latter action had the effect of not only absorbing his memories and skills... but also the souls of all the other dragons he had devoured.

Shura's eyes rolled into the back of his head, the blood coating his armour and face making the image a disturbing sight. After a good five minutes, his eyes rolled back into their normal place, all of the souls being absorbed.

"Whoo, that was something," Shura commented, patting his stomach. Shura hummed, thinking of what he should do now. He had way more than enough armour and weapons crafted, along with tons of magic. He still needed to read the Oghma Infinium and Black Books. Not only that...

Shura smiled widely, red eyes glowing like supernovas. "Time to put an end to all of this. And pay that bastard another visit."

**XXX**

After devouring the knowledge of the Paths of Might, Shadow and Magic - as well as the knowledge from the Black Books - Shura went about continuing bits of his training, ready to face Alduin.

He then jumped into and through a portal, through the use of the Dragon Priest, Nahkriin. Shura stared in awe at the location he was in: Sovngarde, the Nordic afterlife. The land was somewhat rich and vibrant, sporting much flora including many red, blue and purple mountain flowers, several tundra cotton plants and an occasional patch of mora tapinella on dead tree stumps.

Shura was surprised that the afterlife looked so similar to Skyrim. In a sense, it made sense, since it was where many warriors in Skyrim went when they died, so it was likely that it was modelled to resemble that, due to belief.

There were large identical statues beside him as he walked, lining the stairs and surrounding the edges of an entire valley. The most notable place he found was the Hall of Valor, also known as Shor's Hall, a massive hall in which the dead drink, feast, and sing for all eternity.

As he walked, Shura flinched slightly, due to feeling the _millions _of souls present in Sovngarde. He closed his eyes, breathing in and out to dull his senses quite a bit, not wanting to suffer from sensory overload. Now being calm and _not _feeling a splitting headache, he continued on to his destination. As he walked, he saw a fog approaching him, enshrouding his form. Shura gasped a little, feeling the drain on his stamina and power.

Growling, Shura Shouted, "**Lok - Vah - Koor!" **A large amount of the fog was banished away. Knowing that the fog was likely to come back, Shura called out a Take-Over, and transformed into a smaller version of Umbra. He flew quickly, avoiding the collecting fog. As he was wondering what to do when facing Alduin, the answer came in the form of him narrowly dodging the widened maw of Alduin.

"Holy shit!" he yelled, feeling his winds get clips from Alduin's teeth. He snarled at the dragon, who had disappeared. "I should've been able to dodge that easily!" He frowned. "It must be because of this damned fog. **Lok - Vah - Koor!" **The Shout allowed the fog to be cleared again briefly, allowing him to dodge another round of getting devoured by Alduin.

After doing this for over a couple of minutes, he growled deeply. "Fuck this!" He closed his eyes, using the ambient darkness to locate where Alduin was going and coming from. In this form, his connecting with the darkness was heightened to extreme levels, also allowing him to connect and form his own darkness. Using the surrounding darkness, Shura dodged the next strike more swiftly, smirking as he 'saw' Alduin's outline. As the World-Eater went in for another strike, Shura fired off a Darkness Dragon Roar from his mouth, hitting Alduin, who roared in pain.

The two dragons charged, bashing heads against each other. Shura lost the contest of strength, however he quickly recovered by trapping Alduin in a Shadow Bind, his wings and body bound. Alduin roared, doing his best to break free. Another roar answered his plight, slamming into his body and pushing him back. Instead of landing on his back, Alduin broke free from his prison and flew towards Shura.

"**Ven - Mul - Riik!" **Alduin Shouted, the irritating fog coming back. He then tried to slam into Shura, only for the current dark dragon to dodge deftly, claws slashing at Alduin, who roared at having some of his scales chipped.

"**Joor - Zah- Frul!" **Shura Shouted, Alduin screeching slightly at the _**Dragonrend **_Shout taking affect. "**Mahfil - Mah - Strun!" **he followed up, the sky above darkening and shooting out flaming meteors, bombarding the World-Eater with powerful attacks.

"**Tiid!" **Shura chained together, the _**Slow Time **_Shout taking effect. "Nyx's Wrath!" he called out, a giant sphere of pitch black darkness launching from his mouth, eating and destroying parts of Alduin's skin. The World-Eater was still under the effects of the _**Slow Time **_Shout, so he couldn't roar or cry out in pain.

Suddenly, Alduin roared in pain, apparently having broken through the Shout casted, and was desperately trying to free himself from the Nyx's Wrath. "**Fus - Ro - Dah!" **Alduin Shouted, the _**Unrelenting Force **_Shout pushing away the attack only slightly. Shura commanded it to head towards the World-Eater, who flew over the Hall of Valor. Shura gave chase, Nyx's Wrath still hot in pursuit.

Alduin moved closer to the Hall of Valor, the attack following it. Nyx's Wrath hit the Hall of Valor, disintegrating it bit by bit. Seeing that it did no damage, Shura cancelled it, focusing on the painful roars Alduin was giving him.

Giving his equivalent of a smirk, Shura Shouted, "**Krii - Lun - Aus!" **The _**Marked For Death **_Shout was deftly dodged by the World-Eater, who flew towards him. Shura reciprocated, their clawed hands grasping each other's, physically struggling to overpower one another. Both bit, clawed, scraped, and Shouted at other, scars and wounds and blood flying everywhere. Shura used his Blood Magic to regenerate most of his wounds, whereas Alduin couldn't do the same.

"**Fus - Ro - Dah!" **Shura Shouted, compressing the power of his Shout in a vacuum of _**Unrelenting Force. **_It slammed into Alduin's right eye, pulverising the organ and slamming into his brain. Alduin screeched, blood flowing from his damaged eye as Shura overpowered him, pushing him down before slamming him down on the large stairs leading to the Hall, a shockwave being produced and shattering it.

"**Tiid!" **Shura Shouted again, time slowing down. **"Wuld - Nah - Kest!" **he chained, moving at high speeds - which was quite fast, considering his increased bulk as a dragon - and clawed, bit and crushed each part of Alduin, the _**Slow Time **_Shout making it look like Shura was moving at the speed of light in Alduin's perspective. "**Joor - Zah - Frul!" **Shura followed up, repeating the Shout over and over and over again, weakening Alduin's body and armour.

Claw at the ready, Shura gave a powerful roar that echoed across Sovngarde, ripping through Alduin's entire head. Shura was able to see the blood vessels burst as his claw dug through. Then the tendons. The bone came off cleanly, like a hot knife through butter. His claw came out the other side, Alduin's head flying. Shura grabbed both the head and the body and forming a portal of darkness to drop it inside. Then, he devoured Alduin's soul.

Shura's eyes widened as he roared, body and eyes glowing with power as he had absorbed Alduin's soul and power for himself. Giving himself not only another soul for his Take-Over magic, but also power that had eclipsed anything he had felt. After a few minutes, he calmed down, dismissing his Take-Over. Shura grinned, his eyes glowing at all the knowledge he had obtained. Noticing some stray blood on his body, he poured it into his gourd, finally done with his task.

"Finally," Shura commented, a peaceful look on his face as he stared at all of the destruction before him. He smiled a little, surprising even himself. "I can go home now." His grin widened a little. "For my freedom. For my vengeance."

**XXX**

Shura walked through a snowstorm, the snow clinging to his form. He frowned. "**Lok - Vah - Koor!" **he Shouted, clearing the snowstorm and revealing the dark sky. What was now revealed was Paarthurnax the Old One. Shura realised that he was now at the Throat of the World.

**"So, it is done," **the dragon uttered. "'_**Alduin dilon' **_**is now no more."**

"Do you feel any loss?" Shura asked, curious.

"**In a way," **Paarthurnax commented, sighing a little. **"Alduin was once the crown of our father Akatosh's creation. But you did what was necessary. Alduin had flown far from the path of right action in his _pahlok._**** But I cannot celebrate his fall. He was my brother once. This world will never be the same."**

"I can't relate," Shura commented, crossing his arms. "I've never had anyone close to me die. Only one of my... precious people was close to death, but I did something forbidden to save her."

**"How I wish I can do the same," **Paarthurnax chuckled, the sound deep and raspy. "**Still, he needed to die. So that is enough. You have won a mighty victory. _Sanhrot krongrah. _O****ne that will echo through all the ages of this world for those who have eyes to see. Savour your triumph, Dovahkiin. This is not the last of what you will write upon the currents of Time.****"**

The Old One flapped his wings, flying away. "**Farewell, Dovakhiin." **With that, he flew away, circling the Throat of the World. Shura could see another dragon - Odahviing, he thought - and hummed. He could kill both dragons and absorb their soul, but decided that against it. He'd had enough of dragon-slaying. The blood of dragons was great, but he was lusting for the blood of gods.

Shura saw a portal open in front of him, frowning in confusion.

**"****_Do not worry, my youngest son," _**Akatosh's voice spoke through his mind, startling him. **_"I am just upholding a deal. You have helped me with my problem in Alduin, and for that, I give you thanks. Use the power and items bestowed upon you in your own world."_**

_Thank you, _Shura mentally thanked, smiling. _Will I be able to return here?_

"_**Always, Dovkhan," **_Akatosh responded. "**_Till we meet again."_**

"Aye," Shura nodded, walking into the portal and entering Earthland, ready to fulfil his goals.

**Sweet Aunt Sally's fat nipples, I'm finished! Thank God!**

**I'm both thankful and sad I'm finished the Skyrim arc. Thankful in that I can move onto the Fairy Tail bit, but sad, as I was enjoying memory lane. Oh, well.**

**Hope y'all liked the gore, sex, blood, magic, dragons and all other wacky stuff that went on in Nirn. I sure did.**

**More will be posted on what'll happen next in the next chapter. Now, just one Guest review (so thankful):**

**1) That's cool. You know where the back button is.**

**And I am done. Tapped out. Hope y'all enjoyed the (relatively short) side story. And thanks to all those who f,f,r and r the story.**

**Read and Review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10:**

_(Unknown Location - Skies of Fiore)_

Hades, the Master of the Dark Guild Grimoire Heart, sat in a throne-like chair, stroking his long beard as he looked at the communication lacrima in his hand.

Hades was a tall, elderly man with long, slicked back white hair, revealing his forehead. He had a moustache, and a similarly long yet mildly thin beard, reaching down to his lower chest in many curves. He has some wrinkles on his face, as evident of his extremely advanced age. Nonetheless, despite this very age, his figure is muscular and well defined. His right eye was covered by a simple patch, and he wore a dark shirt paired with armoured shoulder pads and shiny gauntlets, as well as chain-mail covering the parts of his arms remaining exposed.

Over this outfit, he wore a large, dark cape, bearing Grimoire Heart's symbol on the back and sporting a mantle with a high collar. On top of his head, he wore a helmet matching his armour, with a prominent metal plate protecting his forehead, with two lines of studs on the front, siding his face and jutting out in a protrusion on each side, and a darker rear part, adorned by a crest.

Right now, Hades was seen talking to a familiar purple-haired woman on his lacrima. "Master Hades," Ultear greeted, bowing slightly. The master of Grimoire Heart copied her action.

"Speak my child," he said. Ultear cleared her throat before speaking.

"Master, the Magic Council has begun to make its move. They are sending in dozens of Rune Knights to apprehend the Blood-dimmed King, who appears to be in Lupinus. Should we continue with the original plan and send myself, Rustyrose and Zancrow or allow the Magic Council to move and wait for another chance to strike?" Hades stroked his beard as he contemplated the situation. He remained silent for a few moments, Ultear waiting patiently for his response.

Hades turned back to Ultear and replied, "Continue with the original plan and hope you get there before the Council does. You, Zancrow and Rustyrose will go to Lupinus Town and retrieve him. Once the Blood-dimmed King joins our ranks, Grimoire Heart will be unstoppable."

Ultear nodded as she bowed once more. "Understood, Master."

**XXX **

_(Lupinus Town)_

Shura growled as he used his Blood Magic to kill dozens upon dozens of Rune Knights. "I didn't really expect my welcoming committee to be a bunch of pissants," he said to himself, clenching his fist and watching dozens of Rune Knights explode in a shower of gore. He sighed. "Blood-Make: Blood Shield." A large barrier of blood started to form beside him, blocking magical beams from them.

"Blood-Make: Blood Maw," he responded, the blood forming a row of massive, sharp teeth. Opening widely, the maw chomped down on the Rune Knights, the added blood collecting in itself and making it stronger. The bloody maw continued its carnage, chomping down and devouring many Rune Knights who appeared before him. They tried to attack it, but their efforts were futile.

Pretty soon, the area before him was cleared of any traces of Rune Knights. Shura nodded in satisfaction, looking at a copy of Sorcerer Weekly that he held in his hand.

It had been four months since Shura had arrived from Skyrim, though this was in Earthland time. In Skyrim, he had spent four years there. The time difference resulted in Shura physically looking twenty, rather than the sixteen he had been. He had hoped that the difference in age would allow others to leave him alone, but yet, they still came after him. Rune Knights and Dark Guild members. Apparently, his infamy hadn't died down since he'd been gone.

"In Skyrim, I had to deal with dragons, bandits and Daedric Princes," Shura remarked, disappointed. "Now, I'm dealing with pathetic weaklings from the Magic Council, and - at best - B-Rank Mages." He scowled. "I want to go back."

Another issue he was dealing with was Nifrit. Once he had arrived, she had greeted him via dreams and decided to torture him for his insubordination, using mental images of Lucy and Layla and having them be brutally killed in a manner of ways. Each one etched into his mind. Their horrified faces, the blood split, the hopelessness that scarred his mind. And his reaction?

He laughed.

Shura had laughed so hard, that tears had formed in his eyes. This had shocked Nifrit so much that she temporarily dismissed the illusions, Shura destroying them with his own powers and pushing the goddess out of his mind. Even while gone, he had still laughed and laughed until he physically couldn't anymore.

_What the hell is wrong with me?_

He just felt so... desensitised to everything in Earthland. He didn't know why, but the fact that Nifrit tried torturing him, bringing him pain and suffering, was just laughable to him now. He didn't know why the images of Lucy and Layla dying had so little effect on him, when before the very sight would cause him to cry.

Maybe it was because of the fact that he had no goddess in his mind for four years, and had enjoyed the freedom given to him. Nifrit just seemed so... pathetic. Paltry. Her goals and drive all worthless in his eyes.

He didn't care about the pain and torture. He didn't care about her trying to torture him. He didn't know if he still cared for the two blondes, but he did know one thing: he hadn't forgotten. He hadn't forgotten his purpose. It was like a burning inferno inside of him, pushing him forward whenever he was sluggish, making him stand upright when fighting.

He could even feel the Etherious standing before him, at the edge of his visions. He could feel their fake glares, their cruel laughter, the pain, the shortness of breath... his death. Nifrit's laughter joined in, ringing through his ears as he tried desperately to drown it all out.

The God Slayer rubbed his eyes, groaning. "I'm going insane. I'm going insane and I'm going to kill myself with my own insanity, before any other mage, demon or god could. Just great."

Sighing, Shura walked onwards, about to depart, when he paused. His hand twitched. Snarling, he whipped his hand towards a particular group of trees, a blade of blood bursting forwards and slashing through the trees. His eyes narrowed upon seeing an unknown woman standing there.

"You were able to sense my presence. As expected of the Blood-dimmed King," she mused, smiling mischievously. She walked up to him, putting a sway in her hips as she did so which caused his eyes to involuntarily stare as she moved.

She was very voluptuous, wearing a very revealing white dress which was patterned with black tiger stripes. There was a slit along the length of the dress from her thigh down which revealed much of her right leg. The dress revealed much of her impressive cleavage. She also wore a pair of black boots and her dark purple hair was tied into lengthy ponytail. Looking into her eyes he could see mischief in them and an exceptionally high level of magic power that caught his attention.

"And you are?" Shura questioned, body tensed.

"My, so rude," the woman pouted. "Don't you know that you should be polite when addressing such a delicate woman?"

"When I see such a woman, I'll let you know," he responded, already moving past her. The woman's arm shot out, grabbing his arm. "Wait, I-"

She was interrupted as Shura narrowed his eyes at her, the crimson glow haunting her. Her body suddenly froze up, seized by an unknown force.

"Don't. Touch. Me," he growled out, eyes narrowing into slits. "I'm not interested in whatever offer you have for me. Now, leave me alone." He released his hold on her, going off to walk away.

The woman - Ultear - panted in shock and a little fear. She had no way to counter his sudden possession of her, and she didn't like it. She narrowed her eyes. _He is a dangerous mage indeed..._

"Now, now. Hold on," Ultear purred, appearing before him and pressing her body against him. Shura could feel her large breasts against his chest. He hid a smirk. She was good, but he wasn't going to be tempted.

"I realised that we had gotten off on the wrong foot," she continued, trailing a finger across his cloak-covered chest. "I didn't mean to be so... forceful with you. Maybe if you hear my proposition, you may be interested."

Shura raised an eyebrow, deciding to humour her. "Go on."

Ultear smirked, thinking she had caught his interest. "My master is the leader of Grimoire Heart. He has kept a close eye on you, ever since your deeds in Truffle Town. He thinks you are strong enough to help him with his plans."

"And what exactly are those plans?" Shura asked, going along with it.

"My master plans to obtain the hidden keys and use them to bring about the resurrection of a great and powerful mage. The great Zeref-sama."

Shura's eyes widened as his heart nearly skipped a beat at hearing that name. _Zeref... _He knew that name. How could he not? It was the name of the creator of those _monsters._

"Tell me..." Ultear paused, noticing the change in Shura's tone. It was... dark. Cold. "If you know of Zeref, and are willing to revive him, does that mean that you know of... Tartaros?"

"Yes," she answered, a smile on her face. "It _is _part of the Balam Alliance, something that Grimoire Heart is a part of."

"Then... that means that you know of it. More importantly, _where _it is." A hand grasped her throat, making her choke suddenly as Shura lifted her up in the air, his face obscured by both his cloak and darkness. His crimson eyes glared at her. "The fact that you're in league with them makes me want to butcher you on pure principle, but for now, I need you. Where. Is. Tartaros?"

"I s-see that you're... not going to be convinced by w-wo- Ugh!" Ultear started to say, but gasped as Shura choked her harder.

"I said I needed you. I never said I needed you either alive or whole," Shura uttered, snarling. She started to kick at his chest, making him grunt. When she continued to do so, Shura snarled, slamming her into the ground and making her cough out spit.

Raising his hand, Shura fist was coated in darkness and was ready to pummel her, but Ultear placed a teal sphere in front of him. She chanted, "Arc of Time: Infinite Sphere!"

Shura couldn't dodge in time, the sphere hitting him in the face and sending him flying. He grounded his feet against the ground, snarling. The sphere appeared again, slamming into his back, sternum, and knees simultaneously. Just as it was about to hit him again, Shura caught the sphere in his hands. He snarled, shattering it.

"Arc of Time: Restore!" she shouted, the teal sphere restoring itself into her hands. "Arc of Time: Flash Forward!" Just then, numerous spheres appeared, all over the place. All around Shura's form. Suddenly, each of them launched themselves at him.

Scoffing, Shura allowed them to draw near, hitting his blood dome that he had instantly created. The blood shield held strong, halting all of the spheres and swallowing them.

He turned towards Ultear, who smiled. "Time, huh?" he commented, looking at the now restored sphere in her hands. "If that's the case, why haven't you slowed me down, or sped yourself up using time? Or better yet, aged me or something?" Seeing her smile thin, Shura realised something. "You can't, can you?"

"Pretty perceptive of you, Blood-dimmed King," she chuckled. She clicked her fingers. "Though you _will _join Grimoire Heart, even if I have to use force." Suddenly, two figures jumped out from behind Shura, one with a black flaming fist. Before any of them could attack, Shura struck out, fists colliding with the guts of the two and sending them flying off.

The two landed on the ground, giving Shura a clear visage of the two.

The one with the flaming fist had long and spiky blond hair that reached down to his lower back. He had a psychotic grin on his face as he bared his teeth. He had red pupils with several concentric circles, which further enhanced his crazed appearance. He wore a yellow and dark blue skirt-like armour with a red waist ribbon that exposes the right side of his chest as well as his right shoulder, where his guild mark tattoo is located.

His partner was a tall and lanky young man. He had silver-colored hair in a pompadour style, with silver designer glasses and a dark purple jacket with a flipped-up collar, completed with a fur trimming. He had a greyish shirt underneath the jacket that has a belt over it that wraps around his waist. He wore long black pants and blue shoes. Finally, he sported a pair of white designer gloves, and his Grimoire Heart member stamp was located on a band around his left arm sleeve.

"Ooh, the punt king has some bite to him!" the blonde laughed psychotically, fist alight with black flames. Shura's eyes widened upon seeing and feeling the familiar magic.

"You... you're a God Slayer, aren't you?" Shura asked, knowing the answer. He... didn't know how to feel about that. He had thought that he was the only type of God Slayer, but it looked like he was wrong. And judging by his element, he was a Fire God Slayer.

"Oh? How'd ya know?" he questioned, head tilted to the side in confusion.

"It seems he's is very knowledgeable, Zancrow," the silverette mused, before he grinned. "But, he's nothing against my Arc of Embodiment magic!" He struck a pose, sparkles seemingly falling from his eyes as he winked.

"..." Shura just stared at him. He then moved to Ultear. "Are you that weak that you'd send pawns after me?"

"Don't ignore me, you bastard!" the silverette yelled, annoyed at being ignored.

"Till we meet again," Ultear waved, before a purple magic seal appearing under her feet, before she disappeared.

He then looked at the two. He scowled. "Get out of my way."

"No chance, puny king!" Zancrow cackled, cocking his fist back. "Flame God's Explosive Flame!" he shouted, a massive stream of flames launching from his fist and heading towards Shura. The Chaos God Slayer smirked, his nose catching the scent of cake. Sweet, delectable cake. Insanity_._

Opening his mouth, Shura devoured the flames, his taste buds overflowing with the juicy, pleasurable taste of Zancrow's insanity-tinged magic.

"Oi, oi! How the fuck did you eat my flames, fucker!" Zancrow yelled, shocked at seeing someone apart from him eat fire.

"Hmm. Could he also be a God Slayer as well?!" the silverette questioned.

Shura finished eating the flames, grinning and showcasing his fangs. He knew now that he had to use his God Slayer magic primarily. He could take this Zancrow out easily, as he was simply a buffet of emotions for him to devour. Blood Magic didn't do well with fire or lightning magic, as it would coagulate. Soul Magic was another option, but he'd need the targets to actually stand still.

"Doesn't matter! Behold, Rustyrose's Arc of Embodiment!" Rustyrose shouted, cannons appearing out of thin air and cocked at him. They fired, cannonballs flying towards him.

Eyes raised, Shura dashed forward, bobbing and weaving past the cannons and heading towards the duo. "Flame God's Bellow!" Zancrow roared, jet-black flames erupting from his mouth and heading towards Shura, who opened his mouth and gorged on the flames. As he sped towards the two, his right hand lit up with light.

"Divine Radiance!" he shouted, light shining and blinding the two, the pain searing into their eyes.

"Argh!" Rustyrose and Zancrow yelled, hands flying to their eyes. Immediately, Shura kicked Zancrow in the sternum, while he swung his arm at Rustyrose, darkness spilling from his hands.

"Dark Explosion!" Shura muttered, darkness exploding as his fist hit the silverette. Rustyrose cried out in pain as he was launched away, skidding on the ground a good distance away.

"Flame God's Volcanic Strike!" Zancrow roared, charging at Shura, who leaned back to avoid the flame-fisted attack to pass, allowing the embers to trail behind his arm However, Shura immediately rolled away to avoid the strike and looked in mild surprise as the attack exploded, pushing Shura back as he consumed more of the flames flickering on his cloak.

_That heat is intense..._ Shura thought to himself, before dodging more cannonballs being fired at him from Rustyrose. While distracted, Zancrow yelled out, "Flame God's Supper!" Clapping his hands, he launched a mouth-shaped attack of black flames towards Shura, ready to capture him.

"**Fus - Ro - Dah!" **Shura Shouted, the _**Unrelenting Force **_Shout blasting away the flames and some stray cannonballs. **"Wuld - Na - Kest!" **he Shouted again, disappearing and reappearing behind Zancrow. "Chaos God's Maelstorm!" he roared, the chaotic currents slamming into the Flame God Slayer and sending him flying with a yell.

Just as Shura was about to advance, he used his Violent Fierce God Slicer to slice a massive oncoming cannonball in half, glaring at Rustyrose. He commanded the blood in his gourds to strike out, sailing towards him. "Blood-Make: Blood Arrows!" he yelled, the blood turning to arrows and making Rustyrose yell in shock and dodge quickly, jumping away.

Taking this chance, Shura yelled, "Shadow Bind!" Shadows rose from Rustyrose's shadow, binding him.

"Urgh!" he yelled in shock, futilely trying to struggle. Shura was about to crush him, when he was forced to dodge a Flame God's Fireworks from Zancrow, black fireballs raining down on him. Luckily, he managed to put the bound Rustyrose in the line of fire as he dodged and ran.

Leaping up, he saw Zancrow use flames upon the soles of his feet to stay afloat. The Flame God Slayer grinned madly. "You're good, puny god. But I'm better! Flame God's Scythe!" A massive scythe was formed on his right arm, the black flames flickering.

"Who are you calling 'puny'?" Shura growled, his Violent Fierce God Slicer erupting in a burst of chaos energy. The two weapons collided, flames and chaos flying everywhere. As they collided, Zancrow's Scythe seemed to be losing in the clash.

"What?!" he yelled, shocked. "How the fuck is this happen- Urgh!" Shura kneed him in the gut, making Zancrow fall down slightly. Shura took that opportunity to grab his left leg and fling him down to the ground, slamming into Rustyrose. It seemed that the silverette was wearing what looked to be a flame-retardant suit, making Shura click his teeth.

_It seems like that little shit can create __anything, apparently... _he thought to himself. "Chaos God's Violent Wrath!" he yelled, swinging his arm and creating a whirlwind of energy that blanketed the two as they screamed in pain.

The ground was torn apart as the chaotic hurricane continued, slashing and buffeting the two. "F-Flame God's Kagutsuchi!" Zancrow managed to yell, a massive ball of flames appearing from his palms and fighting against the chaos winds. Rustyrose panted and sweated, the heat and harsh winds getting at him without his currently destroyed suit.

"Enough of this!" he yelled, a cannon appearing out of thin air into his hands. Though, this one seemed different from the rest. The opening started to glow, gathering energy. "Take this!" he yelled to Shura, who was now on the ground. A powerful laser appeared out of the cannon, heading towards the shocked Shura and punching through the hurricane.

The Chaos God Slayer quickly dodged, hissing at the heat from the close contact with the laser. _How the hell did he get a_ fucking _laser?! Who even _has_ that?!_

The laser continued in a straight direction, pummelling through trees, foliage and seemed to be heading for Lupinus Town nearby. "Shit!" Shura hissed, knowing that if that laser hit the town, there'd be people coming to investigate. Meaning more people. Meaning more deaths. Meaning more Rune Knights.

There was a loud explosion, the shockwave and heat bombarding the trio. Both God Slayers looked at Rustyrose, who seemed to be a little bit sheepish.

"Oi! When the fuck were you going to tell me that you had a fucking laser?!" Zancrow yelled in anger, just as shocked as his opponent. Rustyrose was about to answer, but was able to conjure a shield to block a beam of light that Shura fired at the two. He was about to say something, when Shura burst from the shadows behind the two, shocking them.

He swung his chaotic sword through Rustyrose, smirking. "Game over." He was then shocked, however, when Rustyrose's body shattered upon impact, cracking and falling into hundreds of different pieces of earth. He was so shocked, that he was left open to Zancrow's shout of "Flame God's Bellow!" The massive amount of flames blasted into the Chaos God Slayer, pushing him back until he started to devour the flames.

He panted, glad he had worn the ebony armour. He looked down, seeing his cloak alight with flames. He stripped off his cloak, throwing it away.

"The fuck was that?" Shura questioned, looking at the remains of Rustyrose. Zancrow grinned madly.

"Hahaha! You're about to get fucked up by pretty boy's magic, that's what!" he cackled.

"Not exactly how I'd put it, but accurate."

Before Shura could react, he was struck by something big and powerful, making him grunt. He rolled onto the ground, picking himself up and glaring at the sight of an uninjured, and clapping Rustyrose. There was no sight of damage on him at all, something that annoyed him.

"You truly are quite skilled, Blood-dimmed King," Rustyrose praised, smiling. "You've earned some of my respect."

Shura frowned. "Illusions?" He then shook his head. "No, I could tell that my attacks made contact."

"Correct," Rustyrose nodded, smiling as he pushed up his glasses. "However, you didn't hit _me. _You've hit this." Snapping his fingers, something started to grow out of the ground right beside him. Shura's eyes narrowed, now seeing another clone of Rustyrose standing beside the original.

"This fight was over before it even begun," the clone mocked, sneering at him.

"While facing Zancrow or me is practically suicide, facing the both of us _together..." _The original chuckled. "You should've given up and come with us to Grimoire Heart. For now, you've signed your death sentence."

Just as he said that, a giant monster started to materialize behind him out of thin air. Its fangs were exposed as he snarled at him.

"Meet Guardian Saint Beast, Belcusas the Thunderclap," Rustyrose announced, pointing at Shura. "Go forth, Belcusas."

The beast roared as it raised its right arm, about to strike at Shura, who smirked. "Greater Body Possession," he muttered, slamming the beast's soul out of its body, and possessing it for himself.

"Belcusas?" Rustyrose questioned, confused and annoyed. "What are you doing?! Attack him now!"

"Belcusas," Shura spoke, smiling. "Kill him."

Rustyrose scoffed, adjusting his glasses. "Please. Like he'd ever take orders from yo-" A giant fist slammed into Rustyrose's side, sending him flying off somewhere. The Guardian Saint Beast roared, following its new master's commands.

"Now, to deal with you," Shura snarled, looking at Zancrow, who cackled and licked his lips.

"You really are strong! This is going to be fun!" he laughed. Shura smirked. "Indeed."

The two charged at each other, throwing punches and kicks coated in their respective elements. Gripping each other's hands, they tried to physically overpower each other, snarling. Smirking suddenly, Shura used Telekinesis to physically snap Zancrow's right arm, making him howl in pain.

"**Fus - Ro - Dah!" **Shura Shouted, blasting Zancrow away with a yell. He then caught him in a shroud of darkness. Grinning, Shura gripped his hands, crushing Zancrow in a vice-like grip.

"Argh!" he shouted, struggling to break free. "Fuck you, you pathetic god!" He growled, his body superheating with heat and flames. "Y-You think you can trap me?! ME?! I'll prove you fucking wrong! Flame God's Volcanic Eruption!"

As he yelled that, the ground exploded, a fiery pillar of black flames erupting from the ground, enshrouding Zancrow and destroying his prison. The flames made their way towards Shura, only to get devoured as he moaned at the taste, now tinged with the spicy hot curry that was anger. He kept on devouring and devouring the flames, until Zancrow was now visible. The Flame God Slayer looked at him in shock.

"H-How?" he questioned, shocked. "How can you eat my flames, dammit?! I'm the only one who can do that! You ain't supposed to do tha-" Shura grabbed his face, running across the destroyed field and dragging Zancrow's face through the dirt. Shura stopped, stomping his foot onto Zancrow's head, burrowing him deeper into the ground.

"Simple," Shura answered, reaching down to pick up the blonde by his hair. He looked the scared God Slayer deep into the eyes. "I'm better than you, _puny god."_ Punching him with a Malevolent Fist, Shura launched Zancrow backwards as he continued pummelling him.

"Chaos God's Severe Tremor!" he yelled, fist cocked and slamming into Zancrow from an angle, exploding in a mass of chaos energy. Shura then kept continuing to deliver devastating blows on him. Blood flew in the air as Zancrow cried out in pain, slamming into the ground, blood pooling from his body.

He panted and looked up at the approaching Shura, who had a predatory gleam in his eyes. Snarling, Zancrow stood up, black flames surrounding his body. "Flame God's-"

He was interrupted by Shura putting his hand in a knife-hand strike, pushing through the wreathing flames and stabbing Zancrow through the chest. The blonde's words died on his throat, blood falling from it and the wound in his chest. The hand appeared out of the other end of the Flame God Slayer, blood spurting from both ends. Growling, Shura ripped his hand out of Zancrow's chest, carrying his beating heart along the exit.

His arm was protected by the ebony armour, the heart still beating and pouring out blood. Zancrow's body fell back, a pool of blood forming already and coating his body. Shura absorbed Zancrow's soul as it exited his body, crushing the heart and watching the blood fly.

"Interesting," Shura muttered, digesting the memories gained by the Flame God Slayer. "So, he learned his magic from Kagutsuchi**(1). **Meaning that there are more gods. Great." He then dodged instantly, avoiding a familiar blast of laser that just passed him. He turned around to see Rustyrose, panting.

His flamboyant appearance was now dishevelled, wounds littering his body as he glared at Shura, glasses broken. "I'll make you pay for what you did to him," he growled, no longer holding his arrogant tone. He charged up the laser again, making the beam shoot out again. Shura kept on dodging, moving quickly and avoiding the laser fire. As Rustyrose kept on firing at him, Shura growled. _If this continues, more attention is going to be drawn to this place, _he thought.

"Enough of this farce!" the silverette yelled, dismissing his laser and pointing his right arm towards the sky, snapping his fingers. "I am ending this farce of a battle! You have wasted enough of my energy and breath as it is."

Frowning, Shura looked up at the sky, only to hum. "So, you can do that too."

What was falling down from the sky was a meteor the size of a carriage. Maybe bigger. It was steadily heading towards him, speed increasing.

Smirking, Shura chuckled. "My, such an impressive form of magic. Only..." He used Telekinesis to halt the falling meteor, its descent slowing. Shura strained his face, knowing that falling objects were much harder to hold than stationary objects. In the end, though, he managed to stop it once it came two hundred metres away from him.

"W-What?!" Rustyrose exclaimed, shocked. "H-How?! How did you stop my meteor?!"

Shura ignored him, raising the meteor high into the air. He sighed. "I guess trying to be stealthy isn't going to work. By now, there'd be hundred of Rune Knights coming to investigate what's going on near here. Meaning that I don't have to hold back." Shura smirked. "**Mahfil - Mah - Strun!" **he Shouted, throwing down Rustyrose's meteor in conjunction with his own flaming ones.

Rustyrose's eyes widened as he dropped to his knees, shocked. "I-Impossible..." he breathed out, shaking in fear. "T-This is impossible."

"No, not really," Shura responded, turning around to leave. "Oh, and when you get to hell, say that you need to make some room for a few more residents." With that, he bursted into shadows, leaving Rustyrose to die a fiery and painful death via flaming meteors. The surroundings blew away from the shockwaves, trees uprooting, ground cratering, and a few dozen buildings in Lupinus Town being destroyed from the pure force and fire produced. Several waves of gravel, dirt and force joined in on the destruction, burying some of the town.

**XXX**

Shura reappeared a safe distance away, mulling over the information gathered in his head from Zancrow. Ignoring the obvious insanity and arsonist tendencies, he was able to locate Grimoire Heart's position.

"A flying ship, huh?" Shura chuckled. "That's both simple and ingenious at the same time." He kept on diving into the well of information. "This Hades... from Zancrow's memories, he seems strong. Very strong. He might be a problem. Kain, Meredy, Ultear I can handle. Azuma may be troublesome. Bluenote..." Shura laughed again. "He's another monster to take down." He closed his eyes.

"Well, I have just the thing." Shura's eyes opened, now in the form of slits. "Take-Over: Dragon Soul. Alduin."

**XXX**

_(Aboard Grimoire Heart)_

Hades sat in his throne and looked to see his second in command, Ultear Milkovich, appear beside him, right next to the throne. "Master Hades," she greeted, bowing.

"Speak, my child," he answered in response.

"Master... it seems the Blood-dimmed King is more powerful than we thought," she responded, frowning. "I would suggest drawing Zancrow and Rustyrose back for an immediate retreat."

Hades' eye narrowed. "What has brought you to such a conclusion?"

"I felt his magic, Master. It was... monstrously large. Larger than any I have ever felt." The 'larger than even yours' wasn't said, but Hades had gotten the message. "And it was dark. Chaotic. I-It felt like death."

Hades hummed, stroking his beard. "Very well. I will trust your judgement. Prepare the Transportation Runes and-" He paused, feeling a sense of danger in the air.

"Master?" Ultear frowned. "What's wro-"

"**Yol-"**

There was a sudden _heat _that had Ultear break out into a sudden sweat. She felt fear as _power _literally saturated the air around her. Hades grunted, alarmed.

"Ultear, prepare the ship! Rally the troops! Something is-"

"**Tor-"**

Sweat clung to Hades' form as the overbearing heat bore down onto him as well. He looked to Ultear. "RU-"

"**Shul!"**

All they could see were flames.

**XXX**

***Play: Fairy Tail - OST - Dragon King***

Shura in his Alduin form approached the flying ship, his draconic eyes picking up the outline. His initial Dragon Shout had set the ship ablaze. Now, time to continue with his slaughter.

The reason he was attacking the ship was simple: he didn't want anymore people running into him and trying to control him. He had already dealt with Raven Tail and now Grimoire Heart. Taking out the guild should allow him more breathing room. Plus, better to kill those who could be trying to kill him now than later.

Shura's dragon form was quite a sight for the members of Grimoire Heart watching. Smirking, he punched the ship, shattering it into tiny pieces. Flaming debris flew everywhere as everyone inside lost balance. Some even fell out of the holes in the armour. Shura made to hit it again, but it seemed that it had managed to move even further away.

Suddenly, a cannon slid out of the roof of the ship, now aimed at Shura. The beam fired, a magic laser being produced. Grunting, Shura Shouted, "**Fus - Ro - Dah!" **The _**Unrelenting Force **_Shout blasted the laser back, making it scatter into particles as it faded away. Opening his maw, he Shouted, "**Fus!"** The pure Force slammed into the cannon, shattering it in the process.

"**Ven - Mul - Riik!" **he Shouted again in response, Alduin's famous _**Soul Fog **_appearing before the damaged ship, draining away at the Dark Guild's stamina and power.

"Arc of Time: Restore!" Shura's dragon ears caught, coming from the ship. The ship had started to put itself back together, regaining its original shape in mere seconds. Shura's awe was being replaced by annoyance. "**Mahfil - Mah - Strun!" **he Shouted again, the sky darkening and spitting out flaming meteors. "**Tiid - Klo - Ul!" **came the following Shout, time slowing down to a standstill as it stopped. His meteors, however, didn't. They collided with the ship, bombarding it as the pieces stayed motionless in the air, bodies freezing in place. Shura kept the attack going for several moments, making sure that the ship was completely destroyed.

Dismissing the Shout, he saw that the ship was fully destroyed, falling down to the ground in a flaming heap. He flew after it, clawing at it and destroying the remains.

"Tower Burst!" a voice shouted, Shura immediately knowing that it was Azuma's. A massive tower of explosive flames burst forwards, directly at Shura. Not bothered by the heat or flames, Shura responded with a very powerful, "**FUS - RO - DAH!"**

The pure power of the **_Unrelenting Force _**Shout not only blasted the flames away, but also crushed the ship into smaller pieces as it collided with the ground with a powerful BOOM. Shockwaves could be seen for miles, flattening ground, buildings, settlements and many more. Flames could be seen from everywhere as they flickered and flew in the air, burning settlements and buildings and even catching unaware people that _weren't _already killed by the ensuing explosion.

Shura quickly dropped out of his dragon form, saving both magic and stamina as he landed on the ground, observing the wreckage before him. He didn't want to get caught off guard. Suddenly, a stray teal sphere headed straight towards him, making him grunt as he caught it effortlessly in his hands. He saw a livid Ultear charging at him, rage written across her face.

"You-" "**Gol - Hav - Dov!" **Shura Shouted, the _**Bend Will **_Shout taking effect and making Ultear stop, anger removed from her features.

"Come," Shura commanded, crooking a finger at her. Unsurprisingly, she walked towards him in a similar fashion to a robot. He grinned. "I'll get my vengeance on you later. For now, stand aside." She did so, stepping up beside him. "I have some mages to kill."

Immediately, Shura's danger senses kicked in as he jumped away, the ground he was standing on not even a second ago turning to dust as it crumbled, a massive amount of pressure being placed onto it. He looked through the oncoming smoke, seeing a figure step forward.

"Ohoho. So, you dodged that," a voice called out, the figure revealing itself to be Bluenote. He grinned. "Good. Let's see if you can fly well, Blood-dimmed King."

Bluenote was a tall, muscular middle-aged man with extremely long dark hair gathered on the back of his head, leaving his forehead exposed. He also had a large, mildly hooked nose, and prominent bags under his eyes, very thin eyebrows, as well as an upper lip, and possesses bushy triangular sideburns angled upwards, and some stubble around his chin and lower face. On the back of his left wrist is a dark tattoo with an open rhomboidal shape, resembling a large arrow bent in two angles to point towards its back.

For clothing, he wore a light-coloured, sleeveless cloth, reaching down to his knees both on the front and, larger, on the back, which is open on the sides, but held closed around the waist by a light sash. On the front, the part of the cloth covering Bluenote's legs is adorned by a large, stylized dark-coloured sun. He adorned a dark-coloured shirt with a high, round collar adorned on the front by a small metal plate, with its shape resembling a rounded, capsized pyramid, and sleeves reaching down below his elbows. His legs are covered by a pair of dark baggy pants, with a light stripe going down each leg's side, which are tucked inside a pair of bright-colored boots. Over his entire outfit, Bluenote wore a large, bright-coloured overcoat draped over his shoulders like a cape, with his arms out of its sleeves. The coat had a high collar and edges sided by a line of small, dark triangles pointing sideways.

Shura grimaced, seeing the Deputy Commander before him. He hid his grimace with a smirk. "Not going to say anything about your destroyed guild?"

"Oh, Master Hades will take care of that, no problem," Bluenote waved away, grinning. "He's just having a little nap." Shura frowned at the word 'nap'. Did his initial attack do that much damage to Hades? No. If Bluenote was still standing, then no doubt the Master would be doing so as well. He grit his teeth. Whatever the case, he had to take care of Bluenote _now _before Hades could recover.

"Take-Over: Dragon Soul! Motherglare!" Shura yelled, magic covering him and letting him dawn the features of the mastodonic white dragon. He was in the humanoid form, saving his magic for later use.

"Oh? A dragon." Bluenote cracked his fists. "Never fought a dragon before. Let's see if I can gain the title of Dragon Slayer as well." He pointed his fingers at Shura's feet, before snapping two of his fingers upwards. The ground beneath Shura's feet was ripped out of the soil, along with him, levitating upwards.

Snarling, Shura dashed forward, moving too fast for Bluenote to counter. He dug his fist into the man's gut, making him go wide eyed as he coughed up blood. Shura kept on delivering devastating blows. Bluenote managed to respond to a few of them, shockwaves being produced. Bluenote backed away, flicking his fingers at Shura. The pieces of rubble from before launched themselves towards him, only for him to scoff and use one of his wings to slap them away.

He then charged forward at the elder man. Bluenote shot forward an invisible ball of gravity. Propelling himself upwards with his wings, he shot downwards at Bluenote, a kick meeting a forearm that shattered upon impact. Bluenote didn't get time to respond to the pain as Shura jumped above him, kicking him in the lower back. He was about to continue, when the gravity in the entire area started to increase, weighing him down.

Shura grunted, doing his best to push himself upwards. "Gravity Magic, huh?" he bit out, snarling. He kept on walking forward, feet pushing itself into the ground as he kept on moving. Gravity around him started to increase, making him almost fall to his knees.

Shura's eyes narrowed into even sharper slits as he snarled. His draconic wrath refused to allow him to be brought down in such a demeaning way. He roared, the ground cratering massively into the ground as he lunged forward, punching Bluenote in the face with a powerful shockwave. There was a massive _crack _as parts of his skull shattered upon impact.

Shura snarled, about to continue pummelling him, when Bluenote managed to shout out one last attack. "Gravity Surge!" A purple ball was formed in his hands, flying up into the air and starting to attract all of the rocks and debris in the nearby area. Shura saw Ultear being attracted to it, and quickly caught her limp form. He placed held onto her, looking up at what was occurring, only to gape slightly in shock.

Above him was a massive ball of rocks, trees, and other stuff ripped straight from the ground. "F-Fall," Bluenote muttered, finger falling limp as he rasped out his dying breath.

His creation fell, ready to slam into the ground. Snarling, Shura opened his maw and started to gather magic energy. He fired off a Dragon Roar, the beam of pure white energy heading towards the ball and smashing into it. The two attacks seemed to battle for a bit, before Shura's Dragon Roar started to burrow into it, bit by bit. It kept on digging deeper and deeper, until...

BOOM! The Roar burrowed through, the ball collapsing within itself due to it being destroyed. The Roar carried on for a good while, lighting up the sky. It died down quickly, fading away once the sphere collapsed and was destroyed.

Snarling, Shura dashed forward, claws out and ripping through Bluenote's head in a bloody shower of gore and broken bone. Shura absorbed his soul, dismissing his Take-Over magic as he panted, dropping to one knee.

Quickly taking out several Stamina potions from his Re-quip portal, sighing in relief that he had recovered. "Now, time to- Urgh!" He suddenly choked, feeling a magical chain catch him in the neck, making him fall to one knee and drop Ultear.

***Interlude Song: Play: Fairy Tail - Makarov vs Hades OST Extended***

"My, my. It seems that you have trashed my guild," Hades spoke, stepping forward. The magical chain holding Shura seemed to come from his palm. "So, you are the famous Blood-dimmed King." With a yank, Shura was launched towards Hades' feet. He grunted as a foot was pressed against his feet, digging it deeper into the ground.

"I was hoping that the next time we'd meet, you'd be under my rule," Hades said, a hum in his tone. "But it seems like I'll have to settle with you under my foot." Shura yelled in pain as his face was grinded further in the ground.

"All this needless destruction, and for what?" Hades questioned. "Was it fame? Fame from slaying my guild? Or perhaps vengeance for attacking you with my own guild members." Shura's growl was his answer. He sighed. "Well, no matter. Whatever decision you stuck with, will no doubt be pathetic, under the weight of the mistake you have committed, in attacking my gui- Urgh!" A tendril of darkness grabbed Hades from behind, throwing him to the side and getting him off Shura.

Snarling, Shura grabbed the chain and started to chomp down on it, tasting Hades' dark emotions and anger. He kept on eating at it until it was completely consumed. He slowly stood up, chaos energy swirling around his form.

The surroundings grew black as gravity was raised immediately. Hades had recovered, his magic released. Reality began to distort itself as Shura's magic took affect. Pieces of earth and rock started to be ripped out of the floor and slowly rise into the air, continuing to be crushed in the air until dust only remained.

The two powerful mages stared at each other, neither one breaking composure. Hades' calm eye gazed onto Shura's furious ones. "Well?" Hades uttered, crossing his arms. "Are you not going to attack?"

Shura smiled. "How generous of you, old man." Shura leapt forward, chaos energy swirling around him. Just as he was about to hit Hades, he struck the ground hard, smoke and debris flying up and obscuring Hades' view of Shura. The Guild Master of Grimoire Heart was silent for a moment, before jumping away as Shura erupted from the ground, chaos energy swirling around him and shattering the debris around him.

"Chaos God's Blades of Fury!" he shouted, red-and-black blades firing at him. Hades held his hand out, a giant purple ball flying from his hand and intercepting the blades, making them disintegrate. He held his hand out, gravity starting to increase around the God Slayer. Just as it was fully about to take effect, Shura disappeared in a burst of speed.

Shura appeared above Hades, yelling "Chaos God's Severe Tremor!" An oversized fist of chaotic energy slammed into Hades' outstretched palm, causing an explosion to occur. The smoke cleared, allowing Shura to see that his attack had merely pushed Hades back a little. Hades was about to crush his fist, when Shura's form turned into pure darkness, allowing his intangibility to save his hand from being crushed.

Darkness pooled from his body, spreading across the ground and surrounding everything. Hades smirked, holding up his hands and fingers in a bullet-like fashion. Several bullets of magic shot from his fingertips, hitting Shura's intangible form.

"W-What?!" Hades uttered, shocked.

The half-Etherious smirked. By now, the darkness had covered practically everything. Ultear's body sank inside, stored away in a safe place. "Black Hole," Shura uttered, palm slapping against the pitch-black ground. Gravity seemed to increase as everything around was being sucked into the darkness. Even the remains of Hades' ship and the bodies sank inside, not able to withstand the massive amounts of gravity.

Hades grunted, brought to his knees in slight pain. "T-This darkness. What is this?"

A darkness-coated fist punched Hades in the gut as Shura charged forward, grinning madly. He kept on pounding his opponent, the gravity doing its job of keeping him grounded. Grunting, Hades unleashed a wave of magic, powerful enough to disperse some of the darkness on the ground. With a grunt, Hades summoned several more chains from his palms, headed straight towards Shura.

Shura used his darkness form to slip around the chains smoothly, appearing in front of Hades. The elder engaged him in melee combat, the two fighting fiercely. Surprised at how well Shura was holding himself against him, Hades increased his speed and started to push him back, before finally gaining the upper hand. He blew Shura's head back with a powerful uppercut, and pushed him back with a kick to the gut.

Without any warning, Hades' fingers moved in an odd, yet precise manner. Suddenly, large purple magic circles appeared all around Shura's slowing form. His eyes widened at feeling the amount of magic present. "What the-"

"Amaterasu Formula 100!" Hades intoned, shockwaves rippling from his palm. A powerful explosion of purple magic occurred as the Formula detonated into a gigantic sphere that rocked the very land and earth that they stood on. Hades stood his ground, the shockwaves stripping the very land of its properties. The attack rose up in a massive pillar of energy as it was quickly being dispersed.

"Perish, fool," Hades muttered, panting slightly. "And remember that when dragged to the depths of hell, know that I, Hades, was the one who placed you there."

Suddenly, a swallowing sound was heard as Hades stared in shock. "What?!"

Most of the purple energy was focused on a single point; Shura's mouth. He kept on devouring it, chomping down on the magic as it refilled his reserves. He panted, bruises and blood covering his beaten and battered body. He fell to one knee, panting harshly.

"I see," Hades muttered, intrigued. "You minimised the damage by consuming the magic of Amaterasu Formula. Impressive, however, the drawback is that you were still dealt with enough force to put you down. While still impressive, a foolish endeavour." Hands raised, Hades gathered another sphere of purple energy. "Now, perish into the aby-"

"Gravity Runes: Release!" Shura yelled, the runes covering his body glowing for a bit, before disappearing. He smirked.

"What did you- Urgh!" Hades coughed out saliva as Shura instantly appeared before him, fist coated in chaos energy deep in his gut.

"Chaos God's Evil Grenade!" Shura yelled, a small ball of chaos energy held towards the elder. A devastating explosion occurred, launching Hades back. His clothes were torn, revealing his bleeding skin and wounds. Disappearing again in a burst of speed, Shura appeared in the air, launching himself downwards and slamming a knee into Hades' sternum, cracking it as the ground below him was destroyed instantly.

"Chaos God's Severe Tremor!" A massive chaotic fist was launched towards Hades face as he yelled in pain, digging himself deeper into the ground. Shura grabbed Hades' hair, picking him up and slamming him into the ground again and again. Having enough of being treated like a rag doll, Hades twisted himself out of Shura's grip and kicked the God Slayer away.

Hades snarled, Re-quipping his cloak back onto himself. "I will not be defeated by a brat like you!" He reached to his eyepatch, pulling it open to reveal his closed right eye. "Devil's Eye... open!" A glowing, menacing red eye was revealed.

Dark magic swirled around Hades' form, giving him a demonic look. "Drown in the abyss of sorcery, Blood-dimmed King!" Numerous demons were spawned from the ground, dark magic from his Devil's Eye warping and shaping into their given forms. "Feast upon my minions, and perish from this life!"

Shura wasn't paying attention to Hades' words. He was only tasting the _amazing _taste of Hades' dark magic. So many emotions! So many negativity! So much to EAT! Mouth raised, Shura continued to devour all of the dark magic, including the magic coming from his demons and Hades himself.

"Impossible!" Hades yelled in shock, seeing all of his minions diminish in both size and strength.

Shura chuckled, throwing his head back and giving a laugh. A mad cackle that unnerved Hades. It was the laugh of someone who had gone over the edge. Of someone who was depraved, insane, and evil all at the same time. The God Slayer looked at him, a mad grin on his face.

"Your 'abyss of sorcery' tastes so _sweet,_" Shura chuckled, continuing to swallow up the surrounding dark magic. "So tasty. Do you have any more treats? Any more tricks? Come on, I'm hungry! Give me more!" Shura placed his hands to the side in a welcoming gesture. "Come on! Give me more food! GIVE ME MORE TO DEVOUR!"

"W-What are you?!" Hades stuttered, falling onto his ass. "What in the hell _are _you?!"

"A true abyss," Shura chuckled, amused. "It seems that you're not going to give me more food. Oh well." Palms placed together, Shura poured his magic into them, condensing into one giant sphere. "As a thanks for the buffet, I'll give you one last gift of mine. Enjoy it, as this is a _special _one."

The orb left his palms and moved towards closer to Hades, who scrambled away in fear, trying to escape. "S-Stay away from me! Stay away!"

"God Slayer Secret Art: Cataclysm," Shura casted, a grin on his face. The orb reached its completion, and simply exploded. A powerful explosion occurred, devastating the surrounding area, with the sphere at the epicentre. The earth shook, chaos energy forming into a tornado of pure destruction. The chaos energy in the attack even interfered with nature itself, causing thunder to boom in the sky, and lightning to flash across the sky. It was destruction incarnate.

Hades yelled in absolute agony as he was at the epicentre of it all. He yelled, screeching in unyielding pain as his form faded away, obscured by all the blinding light of crimson/obsidian energy. Everything turned to white.

The attack reached its climax, exploding outwards again as shockwaves upon shockwaves were produced, a vast mushroom cloud rising up in the air, clear for all to see for their very own eyes. The Cataclysm went on for a good while, before being dismissed just as quickly as it had formed.

In the centre, Shura stood there, laughing maniacally to himself as the very ground itself was scarred, barren and mostly stripped bare from the abomination of an attack that devastated everything. Including Hades.

***End Music***

**Wowza. Damn, that was something. Hope y'all liked the chapter.**

**Now, I know y'all have questions as to what the future is going to hold now that Shura decimated Grimoire Heart, especially for the Tenrou Island Arc. And I will simply say; don't worry. I know full well how important Grimoire Heart is, and I already have a plan for that. What plan? You'll have to wait and see.**

**Now, before some people complain (because of course they do) Shura won the fight against Hades partially due to the fact that he could consume remnants of Hades' Devil's Eye. Everything else is as it is.**

**Though, while Shura accomplished his goals, more attention is going to be drawn to him. Oh, boy.**

**Only one or two more chapters until we get to 'canon'. And boy is that going to be something awesome to write!**

**Stay cool. And thanks to all those who f,f,r and r the story.**

**Read and Review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11:**

_(Magic Council - Fiore Branch Meeting)_

"Exalted council," a human member of the council's staff uttered, entering the area where the Councilmen and women made their lounging quarters.

"Speak." Org said. The staff member rose from her bow and nodded nervously.

"I-I have just received a nearby sighting report from Sunspot Village. T-The explosions, sudden natural disasters, wreckage... honoured Councilmen and women, it was... horrifying."

"What happened? Were there any sightings of any people?" Belino asked, raising an eyebrow. "Those kind of disasters don't just happen out of nowhere."

"T-There was... recordings of several people," he spoke, shaking a little.

"Who did you see?" Yajima questioned. "Speak."

By now, the human member was shaking horribly. "I-It w-was... t-the B-Blood-dimmed K-K-King." Eyes went wide at hearing the name. "When more people came to report, t-they saw the b-bodies of... o-of..."

"Spit it out!" Org yelled, making him jump.

"G-Grimoire Heart!" he exclaimed loudly in response, making everything go silent. He took that as his cue to continue. "Different recordings show t-the Blood-dimmed King engaging several known members of the Seven Kin of Purgatory, along with the headless body of Bluenote Stinger. In addition, it seemed that the Guild Master was also seen engaging him." He shivered again. "By the end of the natural disasters - presumably caused by the Blood-dimmed King - he was seen... laughing madly. There didn't seem to be any trace of Grimoire Heart's Guild Master."

Everything was silent. So much so, that there could be a pin drop heard across the entire room. Finally, Org managed to say something, a stutter on his tone.

"I-It seems that the Blood-dimmed King is much more stronger than we thought," he finally said, sweat beading down the side of his face.

"Indeed," Siegrain commented, an interested gleam in his eyes that he quickly hid. "To be able to destroy Grimoire Heart single-handily is... to be frank, terrifying."

"Is there anymore information gathered from what witnesses and reports say?" Belino questioned.

"No," the human member denied, shaking his head. "T-There wasn't."

"I see," Org said, a frown on his face. "Go to the area where we make our wanted posters. Get the Blood-dimmed King's own changed. Tell any and all not to engage him in any sort of way, be it physically, verbally or mentally. That... monster... is too powerful to be trifled with. Thus, he is deemed as an SS-Class criminal."

"S-SS-Class?! Isn't that a bit high, Org-sama?!" the staff member exclaimed. Org shook his head as he looked to his fellow council members, all nodding in agreement with his decision.

"No. Deem him as a 'Flee-on-Sight' mage. He is not to be engaged _at all_."

"O-O-Of course, Org-sama," the staff member bowed before exiting the chambers, nervous. There was rarely ever a time when a criminal was given an SS-Rank. Much less a 'Flee-on-Sight' order. The council room was silent for a few moments, digesting all that they had gathered.

_It seems like this new player will be more troublesome than I had thought, _Siegrain thought to himself. _The Blood-dimmed King... you certainly are one very dangerous foe..._

**XXX**

_(Unspecified Location)_

A loud slap rang out in the air, shocking Ultear awake. She winced at the pain she had felt in her cheek as she opened her eyes. Though, she soon regretted doing so, as she shook in fear at the familiar haunting crimson eyes.

"Have a nice nap?" Shura remarked, smirking.

Ultear yelled in surprise, about to summon her magic, but was shocked when she felt pain. Biting, unimaginable pain. She screamed loudly as her eyes rolled into the back of her head, clawing at the ground and at herself as she shrieked, convulsing. Just as the pain seemed to make her pass out, it stopped suddenly.

She gasped, her pristine form and composure now becoming dishevelled. "W-Wha... Yer..." Gibberish started to come from her mouth.

"Yeah, my 'Blood Rune: Mark of the Kaine' is quite something," he remarked, as if Ultear wasn't struck with absolute pain. "One of my best works of my Rune Magic. I'd say it's one of a kind, but I'd be lying."

"W-Wha... Where am I?" she asked, glaring at Shura. "Why am I alive?"

"For your first question, I don't know," he answered, sitting down on the grass. "As for your second question... well, for a number of reasons, really. One of them is decent eye-candy." She scrunched up her face in disgust. "Another is because I was able to find out that you're a Councilwoman on that fucking Council. And another..." Shura stared at her, fear gripping the purple-haired woman's heart. "Is the location of Tartaros. Now, I can literally rip that information right out of you, or torture it out of you. Either way, you're fucked. And not in the fun way." She glared at him for that remark. "Well?"

"I-I don't kno- AAAAARGH!" She started screeching near the end of her sentence, collapsing to the ground as she writhed in agony. On her neck, a five-pointed seal appeared, glowing crimson as it struck Ultear with unimaginable pain **(A.N. - Same symbol as the one on Alucard's gloves in Hellsing)**.

"Now, I know that you weren't going to respond with 'I don't know'," Shura snarled, eyes glowing similar to hellfire. "You know of Tartaros' position, so you should know where it is. Tell me."

Ultear gasped for air as the Blood Rune stopped causing her pain, making her fall face-first onto the ground. Shura bent down, picking her up by her hair as she moaned, staring into Shura's furious orbs. "Do you want me to continue?" he asked lowly.

Fear taking hold of her, she quickly answered, "I-I don't know! Honestly!" Seeing Shura's maddening expression, she continued. "I'm telling the truth! T-They never revealed their location to any of the members of the Balam Alliance! I-I heard that they didn't even w-want to interact with anyone! All I know is that they're secretive! T-That-"

"They're demons," Shura finished for her, dropping her to the ground. Ultear grunted, moaning. He grit his teeth. "Of course. They wouldn't inform any _human _of their inner workings, or their location. So, it's a dead-end."

She made to say something, but couldn't, panting harshly. Shura contemplated killing her, since he had no use of her, but paused. Well, he still had one more thing that he could use her for.

"Okay, listen up, woman," Shura barked, making her weakly look at him. "I can tell that you're telling the truth. Normally, I'd kill you, but I have another use of you. I want you to infiltrate the Magic Council, and relay any valuable information related to Fiore, Light Guilds, Dark Guilds or me." Shura realised that he needed to keep an eye on what was going on in Fiore. Who better to help him than a Councilwoman herself?

Also, while he was sure that Dark Mages would stay clear of him due to destroying one of the Balam Alliance Guild's by himself, he wouldn't underestimate human stupidity. There was bound to be some fools who wouldn't leave him alone, for whatever reason.

"Y-You make it s-sound like I have a choice," Ultear bit out, her normally beautiful figure now scuffed by dirt and bruises.

Shura grinned, fangs out on display. "Wow, and I don't even have to teach you anything." A burning glare was his response. "But I want you to know something; that seal is just a precaution. I don't want a _slave." _He seemed to make the word 'slave' sound as if it was filled with poison.

"I-If this is your way of... t-trying to justify your actions-" "I'm not," Shura interrupted, rolling his eyes. "I loathe what I'm doing to you. It's looking all too similar to how a certain _bitch _acts. If I actually trusted you, I wouldn't have even bothered with the rune in the first place. But I don't. So, you're going to have to live with it."

"Y-You destroyed my guild," she bit out, a guttural snarl ripped itself from her throat. "Ruined all of o-our plans. A-And you expect me to just _live with it?!"_

She flinched a little, expecting to be feeling agonising pain. However, she was shocked when Shura looked at her with remorsefully.

"I don't," he responded quietly, making her glare increase. "I don't apologise for what I did. You attacked me first, and I responded as anyone wanting to avoid trouble later on would. I don't care if you hate me, I already have more than enough hate to deal with. Honestly, there are other, more cruel ways I could've gone about this whole thing. Trust me." Shura gave a humourless smile. "This is probably the most humane way I could've done things."

Shura picked her up, seeing that she couldn't walk, and started to move along, making Ultear grit her teeth.

_One way or another, I _will _kill you, Blood-dimmed King! _Ultear roared in her mind, trying to kill him with her glare.

_(Sunspot Village, ruined remains)_

Sunspot Village was practically wiped off of the map, only ruined buildings and dozens of corpses the remains of the battle that had taken place. Among all the bodies and wreckage, there seemed to be no life among the land.

Suddenly, far from the scene, a hole in the ground was formed, due to the earth being pushed upwards. From below, out came a young pink-haired girl, gasping for air as her body was covered in soot and dirt. This girl was Meredy, a member of the now somewhat deceased Seven Kin of Purgatory of Grimoire Heart.

Meredy was a young girl of short stature. She had short, pink hair and bright green eyes. She wore a sort of gold wing-like headgear around her ears. Her ruined uniform was a tight, purple leotard that had some tears in it, with brownish thigh-high boots that had white stripes at the top. Over her uniform, she wore a tattered red cape with a golden lining around the edges.

"Wow, Ul-chan sure was smart to place me here just after we crashed," Meredy commented, coughing up soot and dirt. She rubbed her face, lifting herself out of the hole. "I just wish she didn't make it uncomfortable. It was hard to brea-"

Her words got caught in her throat as she turned around, observing the destruction that had taken place. She saw the scorched land, the bloody and destroyed corpses. Her eyes went wide as she stayed motionless for a good while. "W-What... happened?" she whispered, stunned. Her eyes went wider. "T-The Blood-dimmed K-K-King. Did he... did he defeat us?"

She shook her head frantically, a hand flying to her mouth. "No. I-It's not possible. Grimoire Heart is the s-strongest." She seemed to sway for a moment, before her legs decided to stand straight. "The s-strongest. The strongest. The strongest. The strongest! The s-strongest!" She was now shouting the words out, hyperventilating harshly. "THE STRONGEST! DO YOU HEAR ME?!" Tears started to fall from her eyes as she staggered towards the corpses and wreckage. "THE STRONGEST! GRIMOIRE HEART IS THE STRONGEST! IT IS THE STRON-" She paused, hand flying to her mouth as the stench of the rotting corpses and blood was getting to her, along with the display.

She turned to the side, throwing up. She kept on coughing and sputtering, sick clinging to her mouth as she continued to vomit. After five minutes, she wiped the sick from her mouth as she shivered violently. She continued staring at the carnage, a horrible thought coming to her. "U-Ul-chan..."

Meredy turned her head, standing up and walking around in a daze. "U-Ul-chan... Where are you, Ul-chan?" she asked, speaking more to herself rather than a particular person. "Ul-chan, where are you?" Tears continued falling from her eyes as she kept on walking, which eventually turned to running. "Ul-chan?! UL-CHAN! WHERE ARE YOU?! WHERE ARE YOU, UL-CHAN?!"

She searched, she inspected, she cried, she shouted, and yet, it was all for nought. No voice came to answer her. No cold response followed. Meredy kept on searching for hours and hours until she fell down, exhausted. She kept on calling out, crying both in distress and in sadness.

"U-Ul-chan..." Her eyes seemed to close, the trauma being too much for her to witness. The last word on the tip of her tongue was, "K-Kaa-san..." And her world went black.

**XXX**

_(Fairy Tail Guild - Four Days later)_

The Fairy Tail Guild in Magnolia sat tall and proud, housing the most loudest, noisiest, rambunctious, and destructive mages in almost all of Fiore. And yet, it was a place of cheer, laughter, family, and supposed happiness.

Sitting inside the spacious guild, among all the loud chatter and occasional brawl, was a young, tall blonde woman, who sighed upon looking at all the forming fighting.

"Good grief..." Lucy Heartfillia sighed, doing her best to drown out all of the sound as she brought a cup of alcohol to her mouth, downing it gently.

It had been three years since she had joined the famous (or infamous) Fairy Tail Guild, along with her mother. Something that she had dreamed of doing since she was very small. When she first arrived, she had been initially shocked, not expecting her dream guild to house fighting, drinking, and - quite frankly - insane people who you couldn't find anywhere else. But she eventually settled in, amazed at how easily she and her mother were accepted into the guild.

Lucy had met so many interesting people; Natsu, Gray, Erza, Mirajane, Lisanna, Elfman, Levy, Cana and much more interesting people. And it had been quite an experience, with its ups and downs. She had even managed to thrive inside said guild.

After being allowed inside the Fairy Tail Guild and properly settling down, she had asked her mother to train her in the arts of Celestial Spirit Magic. Her mother had denied her at first, saying that she was too young. But she had pushed, giving her reason as to why she wanted to start so young and become a powerful mage: her childhood friend, Shura. Her first friend. And the one who had saved her mother's life.

Lucy hadn't forgotten the pain that was on Shura's face, when he told them that he had to leave them. At the time, she didn't understand or know why he couldn't come with them to Fairy Tail. She still didn't. At first, she wanted to be angry at him for basically abandoning her and her mother, without even a proper explanation. And she was, for the first couple of weeks since they had arrived.

But then, she remembered all the good times they had shared. All of the games they had played. All of the stories her mother would usually tell them when they were going to bed. All of the laughs and jokes she had shared. The joy she had felt towards him for saving her mother's life when she was literally on her death bed. Everything. And then, she remembered the promise he had made, to come visit them soon.

Lucy was still waiting for him to uphold that promise each day. And so, she waited and trained, so that she could stand beside him.

Shura had left because he didn't want the two of them getting hurt. That his path was his, and his alone to walk. Basically saying that neither of them could stand with him, because they were too weak, and needed to be shielded. To be protected.

Lucy never wanted to be the strongest, nor be particularly strong. She never had a goal in mind that required her to be the strongest. But remembering Shura's words, and how she couldn't help him, made her want to be so strong that she'd be able to not only stand with him, but also protect him as well. And so, she trained. She trained with her mother. She had pushed herself to the limit and beyond.

Celestial Spirit Mages weren't known for being particular strong, only being support characters that were weak physically. And so, she challenged that idea. She had spent sleepless nights, practising what her mother had taught her, day in and day out. Layla often scolded her for pushing herself so far, but Lucy always responded with the idea of standing with Shura. Of being there for him, like he was there for them.

She had even did her best to push herself physically, trying to eliminate all of her weaknesses and build up on her strengths. And so, she had gone to the one person who could've helped her; Erza Scarlet. The strongest woman in Fairy Tail.

Many people discouraged her for her idea, calling her insane and stupid and suicidal. And, granted, they were right. The training the redhead had offered her was intense. She still shivered in pain at all of the sparring the two did when Erza wasn't on any jobs. She still had some of the scars to prove it.

But she had endured. She had suffered. And she had profited. In addition to learning Requip Magic, she had also taken to learning how to use a sword from Erza. She wasn't perfect, but she most certainly wasn't a novice.

In addition, she had even gone to Mirajane for help, which she soon regretted. The woman had more than earned her title as 'The Demon', as she was possibly even more sadistic and demanding than Erza, often times taking pleasure from her suffering deemed as 'training'. But the hellish training from both S-Class Mages had made her strong. Strong enough to even be considered an S-Class, which she now was.

Taking the exams when offered by Master Makarov, she had quickly and studiously trained for it, taking advice from both women and her mother. Not only that, but she had also taken to learning and practising with Star Magic, a Lost Magic that she had came upon when out on a mission, and was gifted the book on said magic as a reward.

Lucy found that it complimented her Celestial Spirit Magic perfectly, as it allowed her to use magic to call aid from the very stars themselves. She hadn't mastered it yet, but she was quite proficient.

Anyways, she had passed the trials quite well, impressing the old man enough that she was made S-Class. Something that made Layla, Erza and Mirajane quite proud.

She frequently took S-Class jobs, earning quite a lot of money. Though, initially she went with Erza or Mirajane, as she was still new to the title of S-Class. Something that irked both rivals, and was often the reasons for brawls between them to start.

Her mother couldn't stop gushing over her. Even to this day, she still told her how proud she was, something that warmed Lucy's heart everyday.

As she drank her mug, she brushed her long blond hair that went to her lower back. _It's __grown again, _she noted with a scowl. She had always been annoyed at having her hair very long. It was like it never listened to her, always growing in size.

_Also, that's not the only thing that's been growing... _she noted, looking down at her chest in annoyance.

Her breasts were always being ogled at, either by men with lust, or some women in envy. When she had started to grow more physically, she always had trouble with shirts, as they always strained against them. But she learned to live with it. Barely. The only growth that she was actually happy with was her figure, as she'd definitely gained muscle due to her training. Though, it still was toned, and only added to her beautiful figure.

"Lucy!" an voice called out, snapping her from her thoughts. She looked up, seeing a young girl about her age with white hair walk towards her.

"Lisanna!" she called out in greeting, smiling.

Lisanna Strauss was a pretty girl, around Lucy's own age. She wore a maroon apron, covering her purple spaghetti shirt with her shorts on. She had a tray of beer in her hand as she handed each drink to the customers, smiling as she heard their compliments.

"Lisanna-chan, you look so lovely today!"

"Hey, Lisanna! Wanna join me for the afternoon?"

"So cute! Hey, Lisanna! Ignore those losers and come with me!"

Lisanna just smiled at the compliments. "Aw, you're all going to spoil me with the sweet talk. But..."

On cue, a dark, demonic presence filled the guild, making some shiver in fear. Lucy sighed. "Oh, boy..."

"I thought I told you dumbasses to stay away from my sister," a terrifying voice spoke, making all the men who had spoken shake slightly. They robotically turned to the one who had spoken, Lucy smiling as she did the same.

The one who had spoken was a slim young woman of below average height. She had long white hair in similar shade to Lisanna, which had curls slightly at the ends. Two bangs framed her face and reached down to her large breasts, with some covering her forehead. Her scary blue eyes narrowed in pure fury.

For clothing, she wore a purple T-shirt that had the kanji for 'Demon' printed on the front, a pair of black skin-tight jeans adorning her long legs. She also had black boots on her feet.

This was Mirajane Strauss, S-Class Mage of Fairy Tail, and Lisanna's older sister.

"M-Mirajane-sama, please forgive us!" two of the men who had been catcalling begged, even going down on their knees and bowing.

"Y-Yes! Very sorry, Mirajane-sama! Spare us! Show mercy!" the rest cried out, copying the others' actions.

Mirajane gave a devilish smirk. "Sorry. All out of mercy." She cracked her knuckles, approaching the men. Five torturous, scream-filled, and bloody minutes later, Mirajane was whistling as she went to her sister, leaving a pile of broken and bloody bodies.

"Mira-nee!" Lisanna exclaimed, jumping into her big sister's arms. Mirajane smiled sweetly and hugged her back. "Back from another job?"

"Yeah," she answered, looking at Lucy. She smirked. "What, not going to greet me, my little protégé?"

Lucy grimaced. "Yeah, no. Last time I did, you almost broke my skull, and then later responding that it was for 'training' purposes."

"Well, it was," Mirajane replied, smirking. "Speaking of which... DODGE!" She grabbed a mug from Lisanna and whipped it at Lucy at breakneck speeds. Yelping, she ducked and got onto the ground, the mug missing her by millimetres as it crashed behind her, her own cup being spilled.

The white-haired woman chuckled happily. "Looks like you're reflexes haven't dulled."

"Crazy, sadistic demon..." Lucy muttered, picking herself up.

"What was that?" Mirajane asked, a dark look on her face.

"N-Nothing, Mirajane-senpai!" she yelped, suddenly breaking out into a nervous sweat. Mirajane nodded happily. "Good!"

"Mira-nee, you can't keep throwing my cups all the time. I need them!" Lisanna complained, frowning. Mirajane chuckled, ruffling Lisanna's hair.

Lucy smiled, seeing the scene before her. It was heart-warming to see, and even more when she was the reason why.

Lucy remembered the S-Class job the Strauss siblings had taken roughly two years ago. How they were tasked with dealing with a powerful monster called The Beast. Initially, Lucy wanted to join the group, having wanted to both take it because she originally wanted to, and because she wanted to show Mirajane the fruits of her labour. But the white-haired demon rejected her, telling her that she could do this without her.

Angered at what she deemed to be her saying that she wasn't strong enough, Lucy ignored the rejection and snuck on, wanting to prove herself. However, things didn't go as Mirajane expected, as all three siblings were easily defeated by the Beast, with Elfman failing to properly Take-Over its soul. Thus, he went on a rampage, destroying everything in sight. Mirajane was too injured to stand up to him, so Lisanna stepped forward, initially pleading with her brother to stop and allow them to go home together.

Elfman didn't listen, and was just about to swat her away like a fly, until Lucy interfered, saving Lisanna in the nick of time. Without saying any words, Lucy had then proceeded to use her Star Magic to subdue Elfman, hitting it with everything she had. Mirajane and Lisanna joined her, as weak as they were, and with their combined efforts, they managed to take Elfman down, who had reverted to his normal state.

Upon doing so, he broke down crying while begging for forgiveness from his sisters, who had easily forgiven him. He had also thanked Lucy profusely, who had blushed and waved away the thanks.

"Yo! Earthland to blonde!" Mirajane snapped, breaking Lucy out of her thoughts.

"S-Sorry, was just deep in thought," she admitted, before noticing something earlier. "Lisanna, where's Master Makarov? I haven't seen him since this morning."

Lisanna smiled as she prepared to answer her question. "Oh. Well you see, the Magic Council has arranged that one every month, the guild masters of all the major legal guilds which include us, Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus, Quatro Cerberus, Phantom Lord, etc., would come together to discuss the status of their guilds, along with other stuff."

"Basically, just another meeting," Mira admitted, shrugging.

"Yeah, I guess... if you put it that way," Lisanna chuckled. Lucy sighed once more as she looked over and watched Natsu and Happy argue over a request on the board. Natsu picked up a piece of paper and waved it in front of Happy.

"Look, why don't we take this one?" the pink-haired mage asked.

"Hmmm. Bandits steal museum artefact. Pay is 25,000 jewels. I don't know Natsu... it's seems kind of cheap," the blue cat commented. Natsu frowned.

"Aye!" the Exceed responded. Natsu hummed and stared at the board once more... only to be hit in the side with a chair, sending him rolling on the ground.

"Will you just pick a damn request already! I got a job to take, too!" Gray called out. Natsu rubbed his side before glaring at the black-haired Ice Mage. He was currently wearing no shirt and was oddly, and seeming to do so unconsciously, strip the pants and boots he was wearing leaving him in only his boxers.

"The hell, ice freak!" Natsu yelled, a tick mark on his forehead.

"Shut it, and take a job!" Gray fired back.

"Don't tell me what to do, you perverted stripper!"

Natsu and Gray clashed, foreheads pushing against one another. Auras of fire and ice surrounding their respective forms causing the viewers who were watching it to sigh.

"Looks like those two numbskulls are at it," Mirajane commented, crossing her arms. Lisanna smiled, looking at her sister.

"Kind of like how you and Erza are," she compared, only for Mirajane to scoff.

"Those two will never get along," Lucy commented as she watched Happy seem to tumble through the air above the two rivals, cries of "Aye, sir!" being uttered from his mouth.

Suddenly, everyone went silent as loud _thuds _were heard, as if gigantic footsteps were taken. Many of the guild members shivered in fear, while Lucy had a smile on her face. Mirajane scowled.

"Looks like _she's _back," Lucy noted softly. She - along with everyone else - stared as the loud thuds became louder and louder. The proximity between the owner of those thuds and the door growing smaller by the second. Finally, there was silence. The guild gulped simultaneously before the doors were slammed open by a single hand.

In walked in a very attractive woman with long scarlet hair that reached her mid back and had deep brown eyes. She wore a white blouse, but that was obscured by the armour that she wore which also covered her arms. A dark blue skirt and dark brown boots completed the outfit. Held high above her head was a gigantic horn which was beautifully decorated with glittering gems.

Erza Scarlet slammed the horn down on the ground causing the tables and chairs to fly up a few feet off the ground before settling back into their previous positions.

"I'm back," she greeted. "Where is the Master?"

"Welcome back, Erza," Lisanna greeted, smiling. "The Master is at his meeting now."

"I see." She started to look around the guild, a scowl present on her face. "Now, what is wrong with this guild? I've been gone for only a few weeks and already you guys have gotten in so much trouble! Wakaba stop smoking! It's bad for you! Nab, stop standing there and just pick a job already! Vijeeter, stop dancing like a fool inside the guild and do your dancing outside! All of you, this guild is filthy start cleaning it! Macao!"

She kept on staring at the man, seeming to sigh. This ticked the old man off. "Say something, dammit!"

"Now, where's Natsu and Gray?" she questioned, looking around.

"Over here, Erza!" Gray yelled as he and Natsu wrapped their arms around each other's shoulders. "See, we're all best friends. We get along great!"

"AYE!" Natsu said with a salute. Lucy pinched her nose while Mirajane let out a laugh.

"Seriously, one Happy is bad enough," she muttered.

"Listen, I need you two to come with me for a mission. It's a tough mission so I will be needing some assistance and I would like you both to accompany me." Erza smiled when she saw Gray put on a confident smirk and Natsu put on a toothy grin, flames dancing from his hands.

"I'm all fired up now!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Do try not to destroy anything, flame brain," Gray commented, smirking.

"WHAT'D YOU SAY TO ME, YOU STRIPPER SNOWMAN?!"Natsu roared, flames being produced from his head.

"I SAID YOU'VE GOT FLAMES FOR BRAINS, DAMNED HOT HEAD!" Gray responded, slamming his head against Natsu's again.

However, before their argument could lengthen, Erza had already raised her fists and crashed them down on both mages' skulls. Two large bumps formed on their heads, smoking from the impact.

"How many times have I told you two... don't fight!" Erza roared. Natsu and Gray rubbed their aching heads, before standing back up.

"Y-Yes, ma'am!" they responded fearfully. Erza turned towards Lucy, smiling.

"Lucy, how are you?" she greeted, walking towards her. The blonde's smile strained a little, knowing what was going to come next.

"E-Erza, how are- Urgh!" She grunted as Erza greeted her in typical fashion; via head-slam against her metal chest-plate.

"It is good to see you. Have you kept up with your training?" the redhead continued, Lucy not able to respond as her soul was slowly leaving her body. The others grumbled at seeing this.

"Man, I'm so jealous. How come _she _doesn't yelled at?"

"Even though that looks painful, that's still a much more warmer greeting than we got."

"Lucky bitch," Gray muttered, Natsu nodding in agreement.

"Aye." Lucy's eye twitched at hearing all of the complaints.

"I CAN HEAR YOU!" she roared, getting all of those who had spoken to shake in fear,

"A-AYE!"/"S-SORRY!" All of them responded, the fear of Erza 2.0 coming to life haunting their minds. Or was it Mirajane 2.0? Either way, they were both scary.

"My, I'm so proud!" Erza smiled, patting Lucy on the shoulder. "You've gotten them to behave so quickly! I..." Proud tears started to come from her eyes as she rubbed them away. "I'm so glad I've managed to impart such amazing wisdom!"

"Uh, amazing. Yeah..." Lucy responded, not willing to say otherwise. Close to the woman she may be, she did _not _want to make her angry.

"So, would you like to join me for this mission?" Erza asked, back to normal.

"Sure!" Lucy responded, beaming. "I've been wanting to take a job for a while! Let's go!"

"Brilliant! Now, let's go-" "Ahem!" Mirajane coughed, interrupting Erza's speech. Everyone froze, knowing of the oncoming conflict.

Erza glared at the white-haired mage. "Oh, I'm sorry? Did you have a cough?" she responded sarcastically, a dark aura surrounding her. "Perhaps get that checked out."

"You know damn well what I meant, Tin Can!" Mira responded, giving her own glare. "The fact that you consider those two-" She pointed to Natsu and Gray, who jumped in fright "-and not _me _is insulting! Even if I do have to go with you!"

"Too bad!" Erza retorted, her eye twitching. "They are a much better than you, you shameless slut!"

Mirajane's eyes also twitched at the insult, feeling like she should give this armoured freak a good lesson. "You damned ginger!" She tackled Erza, starting a full-on brawl between them.

The poor and terrified people in the guild watched and cowered in fear as the two fought back and forth, trading insults.

"Succubus!"

"Redheaded bitch!"

Lucy quickly moved out of the oncoming collision, wanting no part in the destruction. "Why can't those two get along?!" she wailed, ducking underneath a table and hoping the entire situation would blow over.

**XXX**

_(Void between Space and Time)_

**Hello, my wayward champion, **Nifrit cooed, Shura being summoned to the Void between Space and Time. Shura scowled, seeing that a mental projection of himself was brought forth.

"What do you want?" he snapped, ignoring the burning sensation that travelled through his body. He had already endured worse, this paltry pain was nothing.

Nifrit sighed sadly. **Why are you still so spiteful towards me? Have I not done enough for you? Have I not ignored your rudeness, your disobedience? I have given you power. I gave you strength. And still you are unsatisfied.**

"You wouldn't summon me here unless you wanted something," Shura spoke, not even bothering to give a response to her words. "Get to the point."

Nifrit scowled, Shura feeling the pain increasing. Still, he did not twitch. He did not scream in pain. He just looked at her with the same bored expression on his face. Her scowl deepened.

**And here I was, going to reward you for such good behaviour.**

"I must be dreaming," Shura chuckled. "Because we both know that you wouldn't reward me for anything."

**As a matter of** **fact**,** I am. **A smile stretched across the goddess' face. **Despite your initial disagreement, you have done well in sowing the seeds of despair across the land. You may not have done it in my name, but through your magic, I have flourished.**

Shura's smile was wiped off of his face as he frowned. "What?"

**The destruction of that guild known as 'Grimoire Heart'. Your kidnapping of that Time woman. The despair of a young, little girl. So drowned in misery at the thought of her dear caretaker and guild destroyed. All those innocent people you killed. **Nifrit sighed happily, as if she herself was the one causing the actions listed. **Even your saving that weak woman from death has been a nice change. An interesting change.**

"And why is that?" Shura questioned, his frown deepening as realisation hit him: he was playing right into Nifrit's hands. His choices were actually helping Nifrit, doing her very own dirty work for her.

Nifrit chuckled, her body seemingly shining. Shura had only noticed it now, but he could tell that the goddess was starting to look healthier. Stronger. **That Celestial Spirit Mage was supposed to die, and yet you saved her. Her daughter aspired to join a guild down the line, and yet you accelerated that growth. Do you not see? You have thrown a wretch in Destiny's plans! All things have a set start and end. You, my wonderful Shura, have screwed all of that up!**

Shura's eyes widened as he realised all of this. This-This wasn't possible. He... Shura snarled, now knowing of Nifrit's true goal.

**Even with you doing your best to 'save' people, **she chuckled, **when using my magic, _everything _unravels. Quite an interesting power, no? Though, it makes sense. I am the antithesis to Destiny. It only makes sense that my champion is the same.**

No, no, no, no, no!

**And with those changes, my power continues to grow. **Her clothes shined, the robes looking more pristine than ever. Her crimson eyes glowed with power. **I have never made such an investment before! Your little rebellion aside, I'm so happy that I've moulded you! My perfect pet!**

NO, NO, NO, NO **NO!**

**And to show my appreciation...** Suddenly, Nifrit appeared before him, making him jump. She pressed her hands to his eyes, cooing. **I grant my gift upon you. Your eyes will be able to see if any and all kinds of chaos can be caused while in battle. **She grinned. **I look forward to the kind of insanity you will produce.**

Pain. Blinding, mind-numbing pain, along with a scream that belonged to him ringing throughout the void. A scream of anger. Of frustration.

_(Oak Town)_

Shura's body sprung up, immediately hissing as he held his eyes in his hands. The phantom pains burned at his retina, as if a blinding, burning light was aimed at his eyes. His eyes seemed to glow, making him grunt as he forcefully cut off the magic circulating there.

He growled, rising up from the dome of shadows that he had built himself, seeing it break. He panted, his anger growing even more, if possible.

"That _bitch,"_ he snarled, punching the ground and making a crater. "That conniving, insane _bitch. _She planned this. This entire plot! She..."

_'Now, now. Is that anyway to talk to me?' _her voice spoke, breaking his thoughts. Unbelievable, boiling fury built up inside of him, increasing in intensity the more that she spoke. _'It's not my fault that you were duped. I didn't _really _need you to spread chaos in my name. Though, it would've been much preferable. Just your continued use and actions were-'_

"Get out," Shura whispered, clenching his fists so tightly that blood was being drawn.

'_I don't think you understand-'_

"I SAID GET OUT!" Shura roared in absolute rage, his body alight with chaos energy. The nearby darkness rippled and warped, responding to its master's emotions. "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Using pure willpower, he literally slapped the goddess out of his mind, slightly enjoying her screech of surprise.

He panted harshly, seeing the forest around him being blown away, as well as the fact that he was now sitting in a crater. He snarled, eyes lighting up in a similar colour to hellfire.

_She's gotten stronger, _Shura thought to himself, wanting nothing more than to explode like a volcano. _Through the use of me, she's gotten stronger. I... _It wasn't a pleasant thought to think about. He had thought to himself that he had managed to finally get one over Nifrit, his trip to Skyrim being his biggest highlight. But it was all for naught. It turns out that his very actions seemed to make the goddess stronger. The longer he went against the natural order of things, the more chaos he brought. This made him stronger, true. But also made Nifrit stronger as a result.

_Should I stop using my God Slayer Magic? _he thought to himself, wondering if he should do such a thing. By doing that, Nifrit would have no chaos to draw on from him, and her influence on him would lessen. That'd be perfect. Except...

Except he couldn't. As much as he wanted to deny it, his God Slayer Magic was one of his biggest trump cards. It was mainly what he needed to destroy Grimoire Heart. Mages of that calibre needed high-level magic to be defeated. And while his Darkness Curse was invaluable for a number of reasons, with God Slayer Magic on top of that, he was unstoppable.

No, he'd use it. If only to survive. Immortality he may possess, trusting a fickle goddess such as Nifrit was paramount to suicide. Plus, death wasn't the worst thing that could happen to a person. He knew that more than anyone.

Shura sighed, clenching his fist. A minor setback. ... Okay, a _major _setback. A very, very major one. But his goals haven't changed. He just needed to become stronger, gain more allies, continue finding goals on Tartaros. He still wanted his vengeance and freedom.

A lacrima glowed on his body. Removing it, he saw it light up. _Speaking of which..._

"Ultear," he spoke, seeing the purple-haired woman's face appear. "I take it that you have news for me?"

Ultear glared at him. "Yes, I do," she bit out, making Shura sigh. Understandably, she still loathed him, both for destroying her guild and essentially branding her. He had sent her off to the Magic Council, his seal monitoring her actions and letting him know through the rune. Right now, she was Shura's best bet at finding more about Tartaros, as well as any specific information needed.

"I have managed to get information on the Dark Guild known as Eisenwald. While not well-known, they're a Dark Guild that became as such due to having taken on a few assassination missions. The guilds consists of a little over sixty members, all of which use various types of magic. Due to being labelled as a Dark Guild, they've been planning revenge against the Magic Council. They plan to attack the Guild Masters of the legal guilds at today's annual meeting of the Guild Masters. Their ace and current leader, Erigor the Reaper is a user of Wind Magic. He is said to have come across an ancient artefact."

"Go on," Shura commanded.

Here, Ultear had a slightly happy expression as she spoke. "Well it appears that the artefact is the Lullaby flute. The flute is said to contain the soul of a demon within it and was said to have been created by Zeref-sama about four hundred years ago."

Shura's pupils dilated at hearing the name 'Zeref'. _So, another one of his creations, _Shura observed, a slow, dangerous smile on his face. _It's likely to be an Etherious, since it's a demon. It's most likely to have information regarding Tartaros. And if not... _Shura's smile became a predatory grin. _Then I can at least have the pleasure of wiping out another one of those _abominations _off the face of Earthland._

"Do you know where they are?" Shura asked Ultear, breaking her out of her happy demeanour. She scowled as she continued.

"Their main base of operations is located on the east outskirts of Onibus Town."

Shura nodded slowly. "I see. Well done, Ultear. And Lullaby is the demon supposedly able to kill with a melody?"

"Yes."

"Good." Shura smiled. "You are dismissed." With a scowl, the communication lacrima cut off from both sides. He grinned.

"The goddess may be an annoyance, but at least the demons are in reach. Waiting to be slaughtered." Closing his eyes, he burst into shadows.

**XXX**

_(Eastern Outskirts, Onibus Town)_

Shura appeared in a forest that had some dead-looking trees. He saw the guild hall up ahead, and smirked. "This is too easy," he muttered, walking forward. He kicked down the door, seeing them fly off to the wall opposite the door.

The Eisenwald guild members inside all gaped in shock. Some looked rough, like thugs. Others actually looked like mages, wearing protective clothing on themselves. They all gulped, seeing who was at the door.

"T-The B-Blood-dimmed King..." one stuttered out, making others fall on their asses in fear. Shura withheld a chuckle as he spoke.

"I'm only going to say this once: tell me where Lullaby is, and I'll consider sparing you," the God Slayer bargained.

"Th-The others left with it! They went to Oshibana Town to do the mission there! We don't have it!" one exclaimed nervously.

"You idiot! Why'd you tell him our plans?" his friend exclaimed.

"Because unlike you, I want to live!" he exclaimed.

Shura nodded slowly. "Smart. Fortunately, I have some use for all of you."

"W-What's tha-" "**Gol - Hav - Dov!" **Shura Shouted, the power rolling across everyone. He made sure to project the Shout to the crowd, making it widespread. He had to sacrifice quantity over quality, so the _**Bend Will **_Shout wouldn't usually work this way. Fortunately, each of the mages were weak-willed, so the Shout easily took effect.

"You now serve me," Shura ordered, ignoring the disgust bubbling up in his throat. Another reminder of his hypocrisy. "Remodel and move this guild. When I am done, I will come back, and we will discuss more of the plans for the future."

"Yes, master," all of them nodded simultaneously, voice monotone.

Shura visibly cringed. "No. Just call me Blood-dimmed King."

"Yes, Blood-dimmed King," they repeated.

Nodding, Shura spoke, "Better." He then turned around, ready to head to Oshibana Town. He was glad to have minions work for him. Not only could he have a place of residence, having more ears out could lead to him hearing rumours or facts to locate Tartaros. Plus, to build an eventual army, he needed to start somewhere.

**XXX**

_(Kunugi Station, Oshibana Town)_

Shura burst into shadows, a few feet away from the train station. "The only mage of concern is Erigor, and he's too weak to actually be a threat," he muttered, walking forward. "All I need to do is just get in, possibly slaughter them, then slip out. Easy..." He sighed, seeing Rune Knights stationed ahead.

"Well, more blood is going to be spilled... actually, when has that ever been a bad thing for me?" Shura asked rhetorically, walking forward.

"What are you doing?!" one of the Rune Knights yelled. "This is a restricted area! Leave now..." He paused, seeing who it was. He shivered. "T-The... It's the..."

"Blood-dimmed King, yes," Shura answered for him, cracking his neck. "So... are we going to do this?"

"Get on your knees!" another one responded, weapon raised. "Now!"

"I'm not your mother last night," Shura fired back, smirking. A second later, blood whipped out of his gourd and decapitated all of them cleanly. Shura kept on walking forward, the fresh blood flowing into his open gourds. He kicked open the large doors of Kunugi Station, the members of Eisenwald looking at him in surprise.

"Who the hell are you?" a member asked. Shura turned to him.

"That's none of your concern," Shura responded. "I'm only here for one thing, and one thing only."

From the front, a white-haired mage stood up. He wore several robes, and his bare chest was revealed. He twirled a scythe in his hands expertly, slamming the pommel down on the ground.

"Well listen here, fool. I don't know who you are, and I don't care. But know that we are the dark guild Eisenwald, and we are about to destroy the Magic Council when we get Lullaby. So run along now before you get killed," the man said in an arrogant tone.

Shura just looked at him with a bored gaze, sighing. "I don't know what's more disappointing; that you actually think that you can destroy the Magic Council, or that you don't recognise who I am."

"Oh yeah?" Erigor retorted, before turning to one of his fellow guild mates. "Rayule, show this fool the strength of Eisenwald!" Rayule walked forward. He was a tanned man who wore a pair of dark green pants and a light blue t-shirt. Over the shirt was a yellow jacket that had dark blue sleeves. His head was covered with a black and yellow striped headdress.

"Heh! This'll be over in a flash!" he yelled, smirking. Suddenly, the black bands that the man wore around his fingers began to move on their own as if they were alive. The bands extended and became long cables that shot forth towards Shura. He sighed, before grabbing the man's weapons, shocking Rayule. Yanking Rayule forward, Shura caught the mage by the neck, giving a bored gaze towards his stunned and scared one.

He looked back towards the rest of the guild, snapping Rayule's neck. "Anyone else?" Shura questioned, his expression not changing one bit.

Hiding his fear, Erigor raised his scythe high. "Take this! Storm Bringer!" he yelled. A large magic seal formed in front of Erigor's body and the man made numerous movements with his left hand before spinning the scythe and making an upward slice with it. The air around Shura distorted and suddenly, a gigantic twister tore up the earth beneath him and spiralled upwards, blowing a large hole in the ceiling on the train station building. The rubble fell to the ground and a large smoke cloud was kicked up from the attack.

"Way to go Erigor!" one mage yelled.

"Yeah, I knew that punk wouldn't have been defeated by such a strong guy like you!" another one added. Erigor rested his scythe lazily across his shoulder as he scoffed.

"Of course. Dumbass had it coming, thinking he could take us on," the wind mage replied, chuckling. As the smoke from the attack was clearing, the only thing visible was Shura's blood red eyes. He was about to attack before Erigor was going to cast his magic, but he felt something was off.

His eyes could pick up glowing lines that circulated around the guild members. Some red, others purples, a few white, but there were a couple of black lines that he could pick up. The red lines circulated throughout the guild members' bodies. Red and black lines passed through their necks, white trailed over their limbs, purple covered parts of their abdomen and passing through their backs.

Not only that, but Shura could feel his senses being heightened for some odd reason. His mind suddenly held flashes of gory images; all of Eisenwald's necks being broken in vicious ways, their entrails falling out of their stomachs, blood pouring from a number of holes from their bodies, limbs severed, etc. He frowned, the information coming to him mysteriously.

_This must be Nifrit's new 'gift', _Shura thought to himself, scoffing. _It seems that she's given me the ability to see where I can inflict pain and suffering, as well as how to do it. The most grievous way, to the most painless way. Interesting. _Shura stopped channelling magic to his eyes, the lines disappearing. _Enough of this. I'm getting bored._

In the span of time it took the Eisenwald members to blink, Shura had already gotten his spell ready. "Blood-Make:," Shura whispered, his voice carrying itself across the room. "Blood Festival."

Blood popped out of his gourd and moved towards the centre of the station, slithering at high-speeds like a snake. Some guild members tried to run, but it was too late. The blood rose up in a thin pillar. Then, it exploded. Bullets of blood flew everywhere, piercing every single member. All of their bodies shook as they were penetrated, many of them flowing towards where the red and black lines were previously trailing from.

Not just bullets were produced, however. Spikes, swords and daggers of blood popped out, devouring all of them like ravenous wolves. Not a single body part was spared as each member was attacked. This continued on, for a good while, before the spell faded, leaving a bloody massacre.

Entrails, guts and torn flesh was all that was left from the attack. Weapons littered the ground, bloody clothes clinging to the dead remains. Erigor's scythe fell and clattered to the ground, its wielder a bloody mess that was scattered all over the place.

The entire walls were coated with guts and blood, making for a rather gory sight. Shura chuckled as he walked forward, blood clinging to his boots. "I can never have a purely clean battle," he noted, observing his handiwork.

A train whistle was heard as Shura turned to see a man wearing a white tuxedo running through the doors, the Lullaby flute in hand. Kageyama grinned widely as he held the flute high in the air.

"Oi, guys! I got it! The flute! I got the..." The words froze in his throat as he gazed at the dead bodies, bloody floors and walls, and eviscerated flesh. He gulped, holding his hand to his mouth as he looked towards Shura. "Wh-Who are you?"

"Doesn't matter. Give me the flute, and I'll spare your life," Shura bargained, hand held out.

"W-Why do..." Kageyama's eyes grew wide as he backed away slightly, pointing at Shura. "I-It's you... Blood-red eyes, a black cloak, black armour... y-you're the Blood-dimmed King!"

"And just like that, you're much smarter than your friends," Shura noted, tone impatient. "Flute. Now."

Kageyama clutched the flute tightly, before bringing it to his lips. Before he could play, however, his body was locked, rigid and unmoving. "W-Wha-"

"Why does nobody listen when I ask them of something?" Shura questioned, crooking a finger in Kageyama's direction. The man's body flew towards him, his fear rising. Just before he was about to crash into the God Slayer, he stopped, just a few inches away from him. Shura's hellish eyes bore into Kageyama's own. "I try to be merciful, but instead, you don't listen, and try to kill me. Better people than you have tried. What made you think you were any different?" Before Kageyama could say anything, he felt a biting, agonising pain at the base of his neck.

He tried to scream, but his vocal cords were started to break. Blood started to leak from his tearing neck as Kageyama gave a silent scream as his head came off his shoulders like a cork from a beer bottle. Shura almost chuckled at the comparison, the blood the initial spray and the fool's head the cork. Ah, Telekinesis was so useful when applied correctly. Well, that and boredom, which resulted in Shura experimenting.

He caught the head, crushing it like a grape fruit, ignoring the grey matter and skull fragments from doing so. He caught the demonic flute of Zeref in his hands, grinning as he inspected it.

Its size was nearly 50 cm in length. It had a skull with three eyes on one end, and an oval-like cutout in the skull's brow. On the other end, there were root-like cutouts that arched dangerously.

He almost crushed the flute out of rage and elation, but he contained himself, placing it into his Requip space. "Finally, a proper lead," Shura remarked, about to leave. However, he stopped as he heard a loud, "WHAT THE HELL?!"

Sighing, Shura turned around to look at who decided to interrupt him, only to frown as he beheld the bizarre group before him. A pink-haired male, a shirtless dark-haired male, a white-haired girl in gothic clothing, a flying blue cat, a redhead in armour, and a blonde.

He looked to see the pink-haired mage who had spoken. He pointed towards Shura. "Y-YOU KILLED THEM!"

The blonde held a hand to her mouth, almost about to throw up at the carnage all around her. Eventually, she did, vomiting to the side. The shirtless mage had a disgusted and green look on his face, the cat followed the blonde's example, and the red and white haired females had looks of disgust on their faces.

"Excellent detective skills," Shura responded sarcastically. Looking at the mages before them and seeing their guild marks, he hummed. "Fairy Tail, huh?" He looked towards the pink-haired male, then to the redhead and white haired females. "So... Salamander, Titania, and the Majin. My, my. Don't I feel underwhelmed."

"Y-You killed them! How could you?!" the blonde yelled out in horror. Shura frowned, wondering why the voice sounded familiar. He inspected the blonde, looking her over. She seemed to be wearing dark and bright colours that seemed to contrast quite well **(A.N. - Celestial Spirit clothing she wears during Oracion Seis Arc). **She also seemed very curvaceous and busty, her brown eyes staring at him in fear.

Wait... Shura's eyes widened as he looked at the girl. Could it be... Her eyes... They were the same shade, had the same compassion in them as last time. "Lucy..." Shura whispered, his voice getting picked up by all of them.

"Oi, Lucy! How the hell does this creep know your name?" Mirajane questioned, narrowing her eyes at both him and the blonde.

"I... I don't-" Lucy paused as she looked at Shura's crimson eyes. Her own eyes widened. "N-No... it can't be..."

As if reading her thoughts, Shura removed the hood that covered his face, making it bare to all those who witnessed it. Shura's long hair became more visible at the front, the black hair the colour of the deepest night. His dark, ebony skin had seemed to age quite well. His face was angular and sharp. His fangs poked out and were revealed as his mouth was in the form of a smile. The surprising thing was that small tears seemed to be falling from his eyes, shocking those watching.

"Hey, Lucy," Shura greeted, a warm smile appearing on his face for the first time in a long while. "How have you been?"

**Okay. That's it. I'm done. Whoo.**

**I wanted to make the chapter much longer, and include the fight, but I was way too tired. Plus, I'm studying for a couple of exams, which was why things took a little longer than expected. But here you go. **

**Just a couple of things to clarify in this chapter:**

**1) Shura's deemed an SS-Rank Mage due to the fact that, while the Magic Council know that he defeated Grimoire Heart, they don't know specifically how. Meaning that they don't know about his Take-Over Magic, God Slayer Magic, or Curse. If they did, he'd be ranked much higher.**

**2) Meredy's still alive, as Ultear stored her away to save her from the oncoming destruction. And she's devastated. Guess Shura isn't the only one going to want revenge in this story, huh?**

**3) Lisanna's alive. Now, I originally wanted her dead, as if there's one thing that I hated in Fairy Tail (along with a long, long, _long _list of other things that'd take a chapter worth of words to fill), it was that no one FUCKING STAYED DEAD! Seriously, Lisanna's death was treated as just a way to cause grief, and then throw it all away**** with her revival, which was one of the things I hated about the Edolas arc. It just made the entire sad scenes in flashback so worthless. So, in this fic, expect a lot more characters to stay dead. You can already guess who.**

**But back to this topic. I _did _want Lisanna dead, but then changed my mind so that I could pair her with Natsu. Their shipping was probably one of the only ones that actually even got screen time that I liked. Which is another reason why I hate that she was brought back later on.**

**4) Mira's retained her old behaviour, as I actually liked it, and found it more better than her one in the anime. Not saying that I hate it, just saying that the old behaviour was preferable.**

**5) Nifrit's plan. I got to keep things interesting, don't I? Basically, Shura's a walking, talking paradox, especially when using his God Slayer magic. His actions have basically been granting Nifrit with all of the chaos she needs (except in Skyrim, cuz seperate dimensions) and is a bitch about it. Plus, she gave Shura another present. More will be touched on it later on.**

**6) Lucy's behaviour. Obviously, I'd have things different than in canon. Lucy's an S-Class Mage. She ain't on Erza's or Mira's level, but is strong in her own right. Lot more confident, lot more stronger, etc. Reasons are obvious.**

**Think that's everything. Don't expect me to update as frequently as I did, as I've been busy with exams and work and all that other fun shit.**

**Guest review response:**

**1) The only other franchise crossing over with this fic (for certain) is Berserk. That's it. I don't want to make this a multi-crossover. Skyrim was for shits and giggles. As well as nostalgia. I can also understand what you're saying about the 5, as I've only ever seen 4 of the 5 used in either harem stories, or single pairings. And even then, those are rare. Also, I've rarely seen Anna paired with anyone (well, except maybe one or two Naruto x Fairy Tail fanfics). And I understand your gripe. And I'm here to deliver.**

**Well, have a wonderful, happy day to all of you. Thanks to all those who f,f,r and r the story. Love y'all. Flamers can kindly fuck off.**

**Read and Review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12:**

"S-Shura?" Lucy whispered, tears springing from her eyes as she looked at the face of her childhood friend, now all grown up. His face looked stronger, along with what looked to be a powerful build. From looking at his crimson eyes that she admitted looked beautiful, she could see a multitude of emotions; anger, pain, hate. Along with an overwhelming sense of darkness and power that she could feel even without sensing his magic. But the one at the forefront were happiness. What exactly happened to him over the years?

Shura moved, moving so quickly that it was like he teleported. He appeared before the Fairy Tail group, stunning them and making all of them jump back. He ignored them, however, moving towards Lucy and wrapping her in a powerful hug, making her wince slightly at his strength. But she hugged him back nonetheless. Shura held her, shaking a little at the contact, along with the familiar smell of vanilla that came from Lucy.

Tears fell from his eyes as he almost felt like breaking down and crying. His head was buried into the crook of her neck as he shook. The relief at finding the blonde after all these years calmed the storm of emotions inside of him. It soothed his mind, knowing that Lucy and Layla were the only lifelines to happiness that he could hold onto. It not only reminded him of his goals, but also helped remember that there were good memories, just as there were bad ones, that he had experienced. "Lucy..." he whispered, hugging her even harder. "I missed you."

Lucy smiled as she hugged him harder as well, crying slightly. "I missed you too. I thought I'd never see you again after you left years ago. I'm glad that..." She broke down, clinging to him like a lifeline. Shura only nodded, hugging her close to him as well.

The Fairy Tail team still looked confused. "Uh, Lucy," Natsu said, frowning in confusion as he tilted his head. "You know this bastard?"

Gray rolled his eyes. "No shit, flame brain. Pretty sure that was obvious from how they're hugging each other."

"What you'd say to me, snow-freak?!" Natsu yelled, snarling at Gray. The started to butt heads against each other, lightning shooting off between their eyes.

"You heard me, ash-for-brains!" Gray responded, growling as their respective auras started to surround them.

They would've continued arguing, if it weren't for two gauntlet-covered fists to slam into both of their heads, knocking them down.

"I already told you, don't fight!" Erza bellowed, a dark look on her face as two massive bumps sprouted from their bruised faces. Their souls started to leave their body as they twitched in pain. Mirajane threw her head back and laughed at the spectacle before her.

"Aren't they loud?" Shura remarked quietly, making Lucy laugh lightly.

"Yeah. They're a rowdy bunch. But, I wouldn't have it any other way," she remarked, inhaling his scent. She frowned as she could pick up a coppery scent coming from him. She desperately wanted to question why he smelled like that, but decided to hold onto that piece of information, not willing to ruin their moment with each other.

"How's Layla?" Shura questioned, looking at her face as he held her cheeks in his hands. He smiled, noting the look of strength in her eyes. Yet, he could also pick up on her innate kindness that she still had all those years ago. He kept on studying her face, noting that she had gotten much more beautiful as she had grown. His eyes trailed down her body, noting some of the muscle shown on her figure, as well as her voluptuous curves and bust. _Damn... _Shura thought to himself, observing her massive breasts. How had she gotten them that big?

Lucy blushed, noting his intense gaze roam across her body, specifically her bust. She suddenly felt self-conscious, wondering if he liked what he had seen. Normally, she wouldn't have cared about what other people had thought of her body. Either that, or glare at or beat any pervert who leered at her. But, when Shura did it, she found herself blushing like a schoolgirl, feeling shy and nervous. However, she couldn't say that she didn't like it. "S-She's fine," she stuttered, ignoring how Shura smirked lightly. "She's taken things slowly, not being as active as a mage as she used to. However, she's been wanting to see you, and she's mad that you still haven't visited."

Shura flinched, feeling bad at making Layla mad like he had done. It wasn't like he had intended for them to meet after so long. Still, it was good to hear about her, and he was even more excited to meet her. "I'll make sure to visit her, then. I've missed the both of you. How's all your Celestial Spirits been treating you?"

Lucy was about to respond, but her eyes suddenly widened as she looked behind him. "Look out!"

Alarmed, Shura grabbed Lucy by the shoulders and shielded her with his body, blood flying from his gourds to slap away the sword Erza had suddenly swung at him. The redhead landed on her feet, light shining off of her sword.

"Lucy, get away from that murderer!" she yelled, glaring at Shura.

"Erza, what the hell was that?!" Lucy yelled from behind Shura, eyes wide. "He's my friend!"

"He has killed!" Erza rebutted.

"Hey, Tin Can?" Mira called out, suddenly nervous. The Fairy Tail mages looked at the She-Devil as she looked at Shura's shadowed face. "M-Maybe we should back off."

"Why, scared?" Erza taunted, looking towards her rival with a condescending look. Lucy, however, frowned. Mirajane? Scared? That didn't make any sense. What could cause her to act like that?

Natsu and Gray looked at the white-haired mage as her instincts were suddenly screaming at her to get away. The demonic souls inside of her roared at her, telling her that this Shura guy was dangerous. There was a darkness to him that was nothing but demonic. It was the blackest, most powerful kind of darkness she had ever felt, and every fibre in her body - both human and demonic - were telling her to either run away, or submit to him. And that terrified her. However, her fear started to increase as she could sense the power increase in what seemed to be anger.

_W-We're screwed! _she mentally whimpered, something very unlike her.

"Hmph! Well, if you're not going to fight, skank, then-" Erza made to taunt, only to halt as Shura's magic rose, filling the air with dread and fear.

***Play: Fairy Tail - OST - Absolute Demon***

Shura's blood-red eyes glared at the redhead before him, his anger rising at being interrupted with his close friend. If not for the fact that Lucy cared for them, he'd have slaughtered them in seconds. He snarled - actually snarled - as he looked at Erza. He recognised her as the girl he had saved from the Tower of Heaven. His eyes lost their glow for a moment as he digested that face. Before he remembered that she had grown up. As empathetic as he was towards the girl, she had grown up into a woman. A foolish woman, given her reasons for attacking him. Then again, she was associated with a Light Guild. However, unfortunately, he couldn't kill her, as she seemed close to Lucy.

Fortunately, that didn't mean that he couldn't break her.

As each Fairy Tail mage tensed and shook with fear, Natsu seemed to get what Mira was talking about, though for a different reason. Even ignoring the _monstrous _amount of magic that Shura possessed, he stood out to his senses. He had the most unique scent that he'd ever perceived. Most people's smells were attuned to products and items that they frequently used. Things like bathing soap, foods, even magic attuned to a specific element.

This guy, however, not only had magic literally pouring from every inch of his body, but Natsu could also pick up the horrendous amount of blood on him. Given the fact that he had never killed anyone, the scent of a dead body would've given him made him nauseated. Shura's scent made his very _soul _shake in disgust and fear.

His entire _being_ was bathed in blood. His smell was like walking into an a blood bank. Natsu could pick up all different types of blood; the blood of men, women, old, young, monsters, creatures, but more prominently-

"D-Dragon," Natsu stuttered out, getting everyone to look at him. He pointed at Shura shakingly. "W-Why? Why the hell do you have the scent of dragon blood on you?!"

Shura stared at Natsu for a moment, confused. Then, he laughed. He threw his head back and laughed loudly, his body shaking as he cackled madly. The sound sent a shiver down everyone's spine.

_Shura... _Lucy thought to herself, frowning. _Just what the hell happened to you?_

"You're one of those Dragon Slayers, huh?" Shura asked Natsu, chuckling. "It'd make sense that you'd pick up on that particular scent!"

"Are you a Dragon Slayer?!" Natsu yelled, stepping towards him. He would've walked up and grabbed Shura by the front if Mirajane didn't grab him by the back, halting his approach. "Oi, answer me! Do you know where Igneel is?! Huh?!"

"Igneel?" Shura questioned, a mad gleam in his eyes. "Never heard of him. However, I am a Dragon Slayer... though, nothing like you."

"What the hell do you mean 'nothing like me'?!" Natsu roared, body alight with flames. This prompted Mirajane to let go of him, lest she get burned. Natsu had a look of rage on his face. "We're fellow Dragon Slayers! So what the hell are you talking about?!"

"What I'm saying is that the differences between you and I... is that I never had a dragon parent before. And also..." A wide, fanged grin appeared on his face. "Unlike you sorry excuse for a Dragon Slayer, who hasn't even killed a single dragon, I'm a _real _fucking Dragon Slayer."

"Enough of this! Ice-Make: Lance!" Gray yelled, desperately ignoring the terrifying feeling in the pit of his gut, and attacking. Numerous lances of ice shot from Gray's magic circle, heading towards Shura, who snorted.

"A Maker Mage as well, huh?" As soon as the lances neared him, blood rose up and formed a shield, blocking the numerous lances headed towards him. "Unfortunately, I can already tell that you're no where near my level. Blood-Make: Blood Bullets!"

The blood morphed, numerous bullets of blood being fired at high-speeds towards Gray, piercing and shooting through parts of his body.

"Gah!" he yelled out in pain, incapacitated quickly.

"Gray!" Natsu yelled in worry, snarling towards Shura. "Bastard! I'll kick your ass and make you tell me what it is your talking about!" Leaping towards him, a red magic circle surrounded his fist as it lit up with fire.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" the pink-haired mage yelled out, ready to strike Shura. Scoffing, Shura sent an apologetic look towards Lucy, grabbing her and throwing her towards her comrades. He then caught Natsu's wrist, just as the flaming fist neared him.

_Zancrow's flames were hotter than this... _he mentally remarked. He then judo-flipped Natsu, making the Dragon Slayer's back land on the ground, cracking it and forming a crater. Natsu coughed out saliva, but wasn't deterred. He kicked out at Shura, who avoided the strike. Natsu spun on his hands, sending whips of flame after him, which were promptly dodged. Using the momentum from his spinning, Natsu got into a handstand and bent his arms and leapt off of the ground. His arms became engulfed his fire before extended outwards to take on the image of fiery wings.

"Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!" he roared, the fiery wing attack aimed towards Shura.

"**Lok - Vah - Koor!" **Shura Shouted, the fire being blown away. Shura leapt up as well, grabbing Natsu by the face and literally throwing him away, making him land painfully on the ground. Natsu cried out in pain as Shura then used his feet to land on the pink-haired mage's spine, a loud crack and a crater being formed.

Looking at each other, both Erza and Mira glowed with a bright light.

"Requip: Heaven Wheel Armour!"/"Take-Over: Satan Soul!" came the respective shouts. Shura looked to see both women transform before his eyes.

For Erza, the breastplate of the suddenly formed armour was small and was composed of feather-shaped plates pointing upwards. The breastplate covered only the front and bottom of Erza's breasts, revealing a fair amount of her cleavage and sported a large metal flower on the front, extending down along her hips, exposing her stomach. Her biceps were covered by straps seemingly made of metal, and her very large plated gauntlets sported feather-shaped plates at the edges. Her waist was circled by large, decorated plates - similar to that of feathers - that laid on a long skirt. Under said skirt her large, plated boots were revealed, however the majority of the boots were hidden, each sporting two small, metal ornaments shaped like wings. Erza also wore a neck guard made of feather-like plates around her neck and a tiara with prominent, jutting metal wings. The armour also sported two pairs of large metal wings which adorned Erza's back. The wings appeared to be composed of metal feathers which got longer and larger as they approach the edges.

For Mirajane, her transformation was more demonic. Her eyes become darker and her eyelashes grow larger, with a dark, thin marking in a light zigzag-style crossing her right eye, above her right breast and on both of her bare thighs. Her hair becomes wilder, jutting upwards and getting curlier, with the front ponytail growing longer, and her ears enlarging, extending backwards, and gaining pointed edges. Her forearms and hands became covered in scales and each sprouting a fin-like protrusion on its outer side. She also grew a large, stocky tail seemingly made of metal plates or scales, getting smaller and smaller near its end. For clothing, she wore a a dark, skimpy one-piece suit, which revealed her arms and legs and is open on the front and the back, exposing most of her belly and wide cleavage. She also dons a pair of gauntlets covering the back parts of her transformed arms.

Shura blinked while staring at the transformed women. "How the hell does that consist of armour?" Shura questioned, unable to help himself from asking. "You look more like you're modelling rather than actually going for battle!"

Erza flushed slightly. "S-Shut up! This armour is supposed to protect myself!"

"From what? Damage, or perverts? Because it fails at both!"

"Hah!" Mirajane laughed, looking towards her rival. "And you say I look like a slut!"

"J-Just shut up and fight!" the redhead yelled, the two dashing towards Shura. Quickly using Requip to summon the Ebony Blade, unsheathing it and slicing through Erza's sword, making her eyes widen. Shura then kicked Mira in the gut, making her grunt as she was sent skidding back. Shura then sliced towards Erza's face with the Ebony Blade. Acting quickly, she got a second sword and - instead of blocking his strike - deflected the Blade, making it keep swing and slice at her face. She hissed at the cut on her cheek.

"Darkness Stream!" Mirajane yelled out, extending her hand and shooting out tendrils of dark energy towards Shura. The God Slayer scoffed, taking hold of the dark energy and sending the attack back towards Mirajane.

"What?!" she yelled in shock, raising up her hands to defend herself against her own attack. There was an explosion of magical energy as she grunted, her figure slightly scorched. Shura immediately appeared before her, Ebony Blade raised. She used her claws to parry away the sword, and was successful for the first few hits. However, Shura kept on moving, his swings and slices moving too fast, and chipped away at her demonic scales and skin.

"Urgh!" she yelled, blood pouring from her wounds. Snarling, she sent a punch towards him that he blocked with the Ebony Blade. Shura disengaged, punching Mirajane in her face, hard enough to indent it and send her flying. Shura followed after her, grabbing her by her leg and flinging her around like a ragdoll. He released her, making her yell as she flew towards the wall.

Shura immediately appeared over her, left foot slamming into her sternum and making her collide with the ground in a heap. He then descended, Blade out to spill blood. Mirajane was too slow to react, and could only stare wide-eyed as Shura was ready to impale her. She was saved, however, by Erza appearing before her and blocking his strike with two of her blades.

"You must be losing your touch, hag," Erza grunted, her arms struggling under the superior physical strength of Shura.

"Tch." Mirajane didn't want to admit it, but if Erza hadn't saved her, she would've been dead. "Don't think too much of it, you damned ginger."

Shura removed his sword and jumped back, his sword seemingly absorbing any available light. Erza summoned forth her ring of swords, twenty blades which circled behind her. The blades began to spin rapidly before forming a shining disc as the blades reflected the light of the sun.

"Dance, my blades!" she cried out. "Circle Sword!"

The ring of blades shot towards the God Slayer, who sheathed his blade and closed his eyes. When he opened them, he unsheathed the blade, his swings moving at break-neck speeds, slicing and dicing through each sword, cutting them into pieces. Done with that, Shura resheathed the blade, moving at high-speeds towards Erza. The redhead tried to move, but she was too slow.

Shura reappeared before her, unsheathing his sword so quickly that sparks were created between the blade and the sheath, lighting the sword with heat as he sliced at her. Erza only had a moment to experience a burning feeling, before she cried out in pain as the front part of her armour was cut in half, blood flying.

"Erza!" came the cries from her comrades. They watched as she flew towards the nearest wall, a diagonal cut appearing from her shoulder to her waist. Half of her armour fell to pieces as she crashed to the ground, blood pooling around her.

"Evil Explosion!" Mirajane cried out, picking herself up and holding a dark coloured sphere in her palms. However, before she could fire, Shura appeared before him, magic surrounding his left hand.

"Dragon Arm: Motherglare!" he yelled. His left arm started to take on the draconic features, similar to that of Motherglare. He then grabbed the forming attack in Mirajane's hands and crushed it, making it detonate early. Mirajane cried out as an explosion occurred, obscuring most of their view.

When it was clear, Shura was seen clenching both of Mirajane's demonic hands with his own draconic one. The white-haired mage's hands looked to be broken, both from the force applied and the premature magical attack that scorched her hands. She cried out in pain again as Shura applied more pressure.

"I'm sure you can guess what kind of Take-Over I have," Shura whispered, looking down at his arm. "One arm is more than capable of taking care of your complete Take-Over Soul. I'd say that it's pathetic, but considering who I am..." Releasing her hands, Shura reached out, grabbing Mirajane's throat and choking her. "I'd say that it's appropriate."

Dropping her, Shura reared his dragon arm back and punched her in the gut, making all of the air dispel from her lungs. She spat out saliva and blood as she flew backwards. Shura appeared before her, slapping her downwards. Mirajane hit the ground, bouncing up from the crater she formed as Shura appeared behind her, punching her in the back. She yelled as she flew freely, body suspended in the air.

Shura then appeared above her, kicking her down. Just as she about to land on the ground, her hair was grabbed by Shura's normal arm. She moaned in pain as she felt her hair almost being removed from her scalp. Mirajane's bruised, broken and bloody body shook as Shura gathered magic in his draconic palm.

He held it against her chest, releasing it in a blast of magical energy that forced Mirajane out of her Satan Soul and destroyed a good part of Kunugi Station, turning it to rubble.

"Ice-Make: Bow!" Gray yelled out, forming a bow of ice in his hands. "Ice-Make: Arrows!" Five arrows were notched, ready to fire. Gray notched them back, firing them simultaneously at Shura, who dismissed his Partial Take-Over. Snorting, Shura dodged and ducked out of the way, leaving himself wide open for Natsu's sneak attack from behind.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" he yelled out, a stream of fire erupting from his mouth and heading towards Shura, who smirked slightly. "**Fus!" **he Shouted, the **_Force _**Shout pushing him out of the way and allowing the blast of flames to miss. Landing on the ground, he turned on the balls of his feet to face Gray, who yelled out, "Ice-Make: Lance!" again. Shura decided to even the playing field.

"**Fo - Kran - Diin!" **he Shouted, the powerful frozen blast launching itself towards Gray, freezing him to the ground.

"T-The hell?!" Gray yelled out, struggling to free himself.

"Kind of ironic that the Ice Mage can't free himself from ice," Shura snorted. "Honestly, who the hell taught you your magic? They must've been so disappointed at the weakling that you became."

"Don't you dare mock my master, you bastard!" Gray yelled, the ice shifting a little.

"I dare, when they teach such a pathetic mage like yourself," Shura responded. "**Iiz - Slen - Nus!" **he Shouted, a powerful freezing force being sent towards Gray. The Ice-Make Mage only had seconds, before his entire vision turned white.

"Gray!" Lucy shouted in shock, seeing her friend be turned into an ice statue. His face was stuck in shock, his expression unchanging. The light glittered off his body as his sculpture stood still and stiff.

"YOU BASTARD!" Natsu bellowed, body alight with fire. "Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!" He dashed towards him like s flaming human missile. Shura just held up his hand. "Black Vortex."

Natsu's incoming body suddenly flew towards him at a higher speed than before. His flames was being sucked in towards Shura's smokey black hand. When he was in range, Shura raised a hand and grabbed Natsu by the throat, making him gag and wheeze for air.

"Natsu!" Happy yelled out in horror.

"Is this your best?" Shura questioned, a bored expression on his face. "You all talk big about 'kicking my ass', yet, I've already defeated three of your guild mates, and have you gasping for air."

"D-Don't you d-dare look down on us!" Natsu coughed out, struggling to get his words across. "W-We're the strongest team in Fairy Tail! Don't... don't you dare treat us... like trash!"

"Strongest team in Fairy Tail?" Shura asked incredulously. "If this is your strongest team, I'd pity the members of your little clubhouse. Let's fact check, shall we?"

Shura tilted his head towards the frozen Gray. "A useless Ice-Mage who can't even fight against his own element. And ice isn't even my main element." Shura nodded towards the downed Mira. "An average Take-Over mage, a Requip Mage that's a one-trick pony with no idea what the word 'armour' actually is, a pathetic cat, and Lucy. Oh, but who can forget _you."_

Natsu coughed, trying to say something. "Oh, I'm sorry. I believe I can't hear you over the sound of you choking on your own beliefs. Please, speak up."

"O-Our bonds..." Was what Natsu got across. He took a moment to take advantage of the loosening of Shura's grip. "Our b-bonds a-are what makes us strong. W-We'll defeat you, a-as long as we trust... in each other! I-In our friends! S-Someone like you... can never... u-understand."

Shura chuckled, before laughing quite loudly, like he had been told an extremely funny joke. He laughed so hard that tears sprouted from his eyes, his hand almost slipping and letting go of Natsu. "O-Oh wow! Damn, you are _pathetic. _You make me laugh harder than anything else ever had in my life! 'Your bonds are what make you strong'? 'You'll defeat me as long as you trust in each other'? 'The power of friendship prevails over all'?"

Shura wiped a tear from his eye. The mirth faded from his face. "Well, here's my answer."

_SQUELCH!_

"NOOO!" Lucy yelled, tears coming from her eyes as she saw something that she'd never be unable to see.

Shura's hand - in the form of a knife-hand strike - shoved itself right into Natsu's stomach, making the pink-haired mage choke out a fountain of blood. Shura noted that he had successfully crushed one of his lungs.

The God Slayer grabbed Natsu's face, making him face him. "_That _is what I think of the bullshit that you just sprouted to me. I don't know what kind of drugs you Fairy Tail mages take, or what kind of brainwashing that they give you, but just know that your _friendship __power _is nothing more than some pathetic horseshit passed down from your dumbass Master, and his Master before him around a campfire like it was their own shit. I deal in facts. And here are the facts.

"The real world doesn't work like you want it. It's not all sunshine and rainbows, it's cold hard reality. No one is going to care about your stupid friendship power." Shura chuckled. "Oh, I'm sorry. I strayed off from what I was originally going to say, before you interrupted me. You say that you're a Dragon Slayer, yet you've never slayed a single dragon. Hell, you couldn't even slay one even if you tried. Your entire reason for having your magic, and you fail to live up to your name. If this 'Igneel' were to meet you, and see the idiotic, weak and pathetic mage that is you... he'd be disappointed."

Shura dropped Natsu's prone body to the ground and walked over it, his spell already in effect. His manipulated the blood in the Dragon Slayer's body to slow itself down, allowing less blood to leave his body. It was crude, but it'd save him from bleeding to death. He wasn't going to do anything about the crushed lung, however.

Shura cleaned the blood off of his hand as he stared at his last opponent. He smirked as Erza donned her Flame Empress Armour. "And then there was one."

"It was you," Erza spoke, voice dripping with fury. "You saved me. You saved Rob, Sho, Millianna, Wally, Simon... you saved all of us. You freed all the slaves from the Tower of Heaven. You gave us a chance at hope. At living!"

She gripped her weapons as flames started to coat them. "So how?" Her body shook as she glared at him.

"HOW COULD SOMEONE LIKE THAT... TURN INTO THE MONSTER THAT IS BEFORE ME?!" Erza charged towards him, swinging her flaming swords with a mighty ferocity. Shura used the Ebony Blade to block her attacks, the metal not budging against the heat. Shura wasn't bothered by the flames, as he had dealt with worse.

Snarling, Shura sheathed his sword and moved across from Erza, the sword becoming free and slicing through her armour. Shura sheathed his sword with a _click, _the sound making all of her armour fall to pieces as she received multiple cuts.

"Erza, Shura! Please, stop this!" Lucy shouted, tears coming to her eyes.

"YOU KILLED MEMBERS OF YOUR OWN RACE! YOU'RE A HUMAN JUST LIKE US! WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO PLAY GOD AND KILL WHOEVER YOU WISH?! WHO ARE YOU TO SAY WHO IS DESERVING AND UNDESERVING OF LIFE?!"

The redhead Requipped her Lightning Empress Armour, making the air crackle with electricity. She roared as she aimed her spear at him, discharging a massive bolt of lightning. Dodging it, Shura held up his free hand.

"Divine Radiance!" he yelled out, light spilling from his hand and blinding Erza, Lucy and Happy. Distracted, Erza grunted as more cuts adorned her body, her armour falling to pieces.

"Requip! Purgatory Armour!" she yelled, a bright light surrounding her form and leaving her in her most powerful armour to date. She blinked as her vision came back to her. She leapt into the air and slammed her mace down onto Shura.

"Blood-Make: Blood Shield!" he called out, the blood forming and blocking Erza's attack. A powerful shockwave was produced from the contact, but the blood managed to hold. "Blood-Make: Blood Eruption!" A crimson magic circle appeared below him, shooting up a gigantic column of dense blood that hit Erza, sending her flying.

She screamed in pain, the force and attack making her bleed even more, which just added to the attack. She fell to the ground, hacking and coughing out blood. She made to stand, only for her to fall down once again.

"I'm disappointed," Shura responded, looking down at the redhead. "I remember the little girl that I saved, all those years ago. She was scared, frightened, weak. Yet, she possessed a drive to live. A drive to be free from the bondage placed on her by those disgusting slavers. She became free, left with her friends... and yet, she became bound again. Became a slave again."

"I AM NOT A SLAVE!" Erza yelled, hefting her mace. She roared as she charged at him, swinging wildly. Blood kept on defending its king, each strike blocked swiftly and efficiently. "I AM FREE! I HAVE FRIENDS! I-"

"If that's the case," Shura interrupted, frowning, "then why are you fighting me?" That question gave Erza pause, and allowed a blood whip to smack her away, making her skid across the blood-soaked ground. She got up quickly, glaring at him.

"Why are you so against me killing?" Shura continued, walking forward towards her. "You never knew these Eisenwald members. You don't care for them. No, you're fighting me because what you believe what I did was wrong.

"And in a sense, you may be correct." Erza's and Lucy's shocked faces made him laugh bitterly. "From a certain perspective, I'm made out to look like the monster, due to me killing them. But I gave them a chance to surrender. A chance to flee. They didn't take it. Who then can fault me for me simply revoking that mercy and killing them?"

"But-" "What I meant by you being a slave, is that you're bound by your stupid morals, thinking you can live your life without killing," Shura finished for her, scowling. "I call you bound, because you are weak. Not just in magic, but in ideals. You don't have the guts to kill, because you believe it wrong. Killing is a part of what humans do. It's as simple as that."

Snarling, Erza made to attack, but Shura appeared before her, kicking her in the stomach and making her fly back. As she landed on the ground, Shura stood over her, eyes narrowed.

"Open your eyes," he said silently. "And see. Humans can't go a day without killing people, whether intentional or not. Life doesn't give one the luxury of allowing us to live our lives the way we want it. You make of what you can, to get what you want. That includes killing. You're deluding yourself, _shackling _yourself, into believing that's the case."

Shura suddenly chuckled, looking down at Erza's frightened and desperate look. Desperate to prove him wrong, to deny his words. "You know, the funny thing is that, we're both slaves to different systems. I guess I can be called a hypocrite because of that. However, I'm at least fighting and killing for my freedom. I can't exactly say the same thing for you."

"I... am not... a slave," Erza denied again, tears coming from her real eye as she tried to deny the truth. The truth that she had been trying to deny, but Shura's words made her think. Made her question just what she believed in and fought for.

"Oh? Then let me ask you something." He reached out to Erza's chest, placing his hand on her breastplate. He then lit his hand up with magic and pulled it downwards, breaking a large piece of Erza's armour, exposing her breasts clad in a sports bra, along with her abdominals. Erza froze at the sight of her broken armour, her mouth agape, her voice stuck in her throat, her eyes widened and terrified.

"Why do you shield yourself?" he asked her, and receiving no answer. He took hold of her left arm, and ripped off the armour.

"Stop it!" Lucy cried out, but Shura didn't listen. At the sight of her exposed left arm and chest, a horrified, desperate cry left Erza's mouth, one she hasn't heard in a long time. She tensed her whole body up and tried to force her way out of Shura's grip, but he didn't let go. He only stared at her sadly.

"You're trying to shield yourself," Shura responded, looking into her eyes. "Trying to believe that your armour can keep others away from you. Keep them from getting inside your heart, for you fear that if that happens, they'll leave you. Just like they did with your blue-haired friend."

Tears sprang from Erza's eyes as she shook, all forms of resistance leaving her. Shura sighed, releasing her limbs as he stood up.

"We both may be slaves to different systems, Erza Scarlet. But - like I said - I'm fighting for my freedom, so that my life can be my own." He moved away from her, stepping over her shaking body. "Can the same be said for you?"

Shura moved over, to walk towards Lucy. Just as he was about to hold her hand and reassure her, she stopped him. "Don't."

Shura stopped, a pained expression on his face. "Lucy, I-"

"Just... don't." Tears fell from her eyes. "W-What happened to you? What made you turn out like this?"

Shura was silent for a moment, before responding with, "Like I said; I'm looking to be free."

"Free? Free from what?!" An angry expression came upon her face. "Why won't you tell me?! What exactly causes you to kill all of those Dark Mages, and hurt my friends?!"

Shura was silent, unable to answer her. He couldn't - no, _wouldn't _bring her into the fold of this entire mess with Nifrit. She deserved to live her life, and not get involved with his. It hurt - pained him to do such a thing - but he had to.

"So, that's it, huh?" She glared at him, fists clenched. "After all these years, I've been waiting. For us to meet. For me to help you, like you helped my family. I've been crying myself to sleep for all these years, because I believed that I wasn't able to help you. Because I was too weak."

"That's not it-" "Then what is it?!" Lucy snapped at him, her voice carrying itself across the station. His voice fell silent as she continued. "What is it?! What causes you to be the way you are? To take up the role of the Blood-dimmed King? To kill people! To hurt my friends! To abandon me! What?!"

Shura's tongue felt heavy in his mouth. He so desperately wanted to tell her everything. About Tartaros, Nifrit, his pain, his troubles. But he couldn't. Because he wanted to protect her. From both Nifrit... and himself.

More tears fell from Lucy's narrowed brown eyes as Shura was silent again. Her head bowed, fists clenched. "Just... go. Please."

Shura's head also bowed, tears falling from his own eyes. Gritting his teeth, he clenched his own fists as he burst into shadows, disappearing and leaving the scene before him.

Lucy broke down crying as soon as he left, sobbing as Happy floated beside her, trying to comfort her.

**XXX**

_(Kunugi Station, Railway Tracks)_

Shura appeared along the railway tracks near the station, his eyes still bringing out tears. He stood alone, no visible activity tracked for miles and miles. Inside Shura, a raging battle of emotions occurred. The realisation that he had met Lucy and then fought Fairy Tail slowly washed over him. But that wasn't what was important. No, that was seeing Lucy cry. To see her anger directed at him, after deliberately leaving her and Layla for their own safety... only for it to backfire on him tremendously.

He didn't want this! He didn't want to live this life filled with sadness, rage and pain. His one chance of happiness felt like a fleeting dream now. He had hurt Lucy... maybe not physically, but emotionally. It tore at his heart. It made it ache with anguish.

He was trying to keep it down, trying to keep it bottled and away from him, but it struggled and fought and clawed its way to the surface, his surfacing emotions _demanding_ to be released. Shura's fists clenched and unclenched, his teeth grinding hard against themselves, his bottom lip curled up and down, a river of tears streaming down his pulsing eyes.

A dark aura surrounded him. Pure black started to peel off of him, wafting off every inch of his body. It was too much. The emotions. The pain. The sorrow. Shura threw his head back and roared, darkness exploding from his very being. A huge explosion of dark energy erupted from his body. The wave of shadowy death began to encompass the entire track around him, crushing and destroying it. Gravity started to distort, before the entire air was being crushed from the centre of the black hole that was Shura.

The entire railway tracks of Kunugi Station started to crush and disintegrate from the very gravity and power rolling off of him. At the meeting of the Guild Masters, all of them were shocked at seeing the massive encompassing sphere of darkness that could be seen from miles.

"What the hell is that thing?!" Goldmine yelled out, dropping his drink in shock.

"Oh my! I can't seem to sense any magic at all!" Bob exclaimed, hands on both of his cheeks. "But it seems so... dark!"

Makarov stayed silent, watching the massive black sphere. While he couldn't sense any magic coming from this darkness, the emotions could be felt as clear as day. Hatred, pain, and an unending darkness so vast and black that it felt like he was staring into an abyss. His skin shuddered slightly at the feel of the raw power and evil coming from that sphere.

He frowned, feeling a sense of dread in the pit of his stomach. _My children, _he thought in slight worry. _I hope that you're all alright._

After several minutes of this stretching void, the darkness stretched out, crushing everything it could see in its path. Finally - after a long, agonising, painful silence - the darkness receded, gravity returning to normal. All of the darkness vanished, turning into multiple black particles that faded away. As the inky blackness left, all of the railway tracks of the station was just... gone.

The nearby tracks, trains, even the faraway homes and villages that were stationed - along with some good parts of Oshibana Town - were destroyed. Razed. Obliterated. Sucked into the terrifying darkness that had formed not too long ago. In the epicentre, Shura sat in a black sphere of darkness as he panted slightly, standing in it. He continued standing, the silence comforting him as he was left to his scattered thoughts, feeling slightly lost for the first time in a long while.

**I'm back, bitches!**

**Decided to be nice and drop this before I completely go full hermit and lock myself in my room. I was so eager to write this.**

**Hope y'all liked the chapter. The reactions and fight scenes were as expected, hopefully. **

**I had Shura be extremely brutal to the gang for several reasons. One, I was venting my frustrations on their ideology. Two, it was in his character. Three, I wanted them to have a harsh realisation of their actions, specifically the power of their bonds and their no-killing rule. This is so that things fit in my story. Like I said, no nakama bullshit is going to be used. Or at the very least, you'll only see it used (note: used and not successfully) once or twice.**

**And while the reactions the rest were expected, Shura's interaction with Lucy went the way it was due to Shura not willing to tell her about his dealings and past, and Lucy's reaction to him killing the Eisenwald members, and basically brutalizing her friends. What a shitty reunion.**

**Was it exaggerated? I don't think so. Given the circumstances, it fit perfectly. Now, some of you might think differently, and that's fine. But I felt that it felt needed.**

**I _did _want Lullaby's interrogation this chapter, but Shura would destroy it in rage rather than properly interrogate for info, so that's next chapter.**

**Guest Review time:**

**1) That would be extremely awesome to use. But I'd rather have him devour her spirit and become a True God, rather than using God Soul.**

**2) Thanks, glad you're enjoying it.**

**Now, with that done, Imma bounce! Love goes out to all those who f,f,r and r the story. Flamers - well, I think y'all got the message.**

**Read and Review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13:**

_(Void between Space and Time)_

'_What happened to you? What made you turn out like this?'_

_'Why won't you tell me?! What exactly causes you to kill all those Dark Mages, and hurt my friends?!'_

_'So, that's it, huh? After all these years, I've been waiting. For us to meet. For me to help you, like you helped my family. I've been crying myself to sleep for all these years, because I believed that I wasn't able to help you. Because I was too weak.'_

_'What is it?! What causes you to be the way you are? To take up the role of the Blood-dimmed King? To kill people! To hurt my friends! To abandon me! What?!'_

Shura stared blankly at the recurring image in his head, the image of Lucy yelling at him, crying, screaming at him. It broke his heart. It tore it into millions of pieces, leaving a hollow feeling in his chest. He couldn't cry, he couldn't yell. He couldn't even feel anger.

His emotions had already been bled out, leaving the hollowness in his chest.

A flicker of emotion rang across his face as he saw the image of Lucy contort into a sneer. "How pathetic," she mocked, her voice losing all of the previous pain and sorrow that was there. "You can kill dozens of mortals, and you don't bat an eyelash, yet simple words leave you bawling like a baby?"

He scowled, not even mustering enough strength to speak.

"Where's the feared Blood-dimmed King? Because all I see before me is a pathetic little boy, who can't seem to get over that his crush threw a temper tantrum at him! Is that it?!"

Shura still said nothing.

Lucy threw her hands up in the air, scoffing in disgust. "I can't believe that I ever took any notice of you. You're pathetic! Weak! Undeserving of the power you have! I hate you! I wish I had never even met you! I wish you had died the moment I took notice of you-"

"If you're going to taunt me, Nifrit," Shura said blankly, finally speaking as his eyes narrowed, "you can at least use your own face. Using the body of another to bring me down just shows that you can't even do it with your own power."

'Lucy' scowled, but then smirked as she transformed back into her regular attire of pale skin, black hair, and red eyes. Her clothes morphed into her usual cloak. **Honestly, why do you spoil my fun? I was so sure that you would've at least started bawling like a babe.**

"You thought wrong," Shura retorted. He turned to leave. "I'm not in the mood to discuss anything with you."

**I'm just saying that you need to get rid of your emotions for that girl,** Nifrit huffed. **Seriously, it's annoying. Kill her. Destroy her guild, for all I care. Even rape her and get rid of all that disgusting obsession with her- **

A glint of crimson-obsidian was all she saw, before she narrowly dodged Shura's Violent Fierce God Slicer. She didn't escape unscathed, as a large cut on her cheek appeared. Silver blood ran from the wound as she inspected it with her hand, blood trickling from her fingers as she stared in shock.

"That at least answers my question," Shura spoke, a grim smile on his face as his magic faded away. "Gods _do _bleed apparently."

**You wretched, little shit**\- Nifrit hissed, but Shura waved the threat away as his consciousness faded away. "Yeah, yeah. I'll cause you pain worthy of a thousand deaths. I've heard it all before, and I'm not impressed."

The goddess' frustrated screams had Shura smiling a little as he celebrated his small victory.

**XXX**

_(Former Eisenwald Guild Hall, Eastern Outskirts, Onibus Town)_

Shura's eyes slowly opened, his eyes dimming dramatically. Already, tears spilled from his eyes, having been building up as he'd been holding strong since recounting Lucy's words to him and seeing her body being used by Nifrit. Quiet sobs spilled from his being, before he started actually crying, face-first into the pillow he was resting in. He howled into it, whipping out strands of shadows that slashed and hacked the room around him in rage.

Shura pounded his fist into the bed, the soft material eventually giving way due to his strength. His fist went past the bed, breaking it in the process as he kept on crying. It hurt. It hurt him so much, to see his best friend after so long. To finally be reunited with her, only for it to be ripped away from him due to a multitude of factors.

_Why?! _His heart seemed to gain a voice, feeling like it was going to tear itself into two as he cried. _Why didn't I tell her?! Why did I have to make both of us suffer?! Why, why, WHY?!_

_Because we're trying to protect her! _his mind screamed in response. _Lucy's too bright and pure to be caught up in that bitch's schemes! She doesn't deserve to be in our lives!_

_But we care for her!_ his heart insisted strongly. _She and Layla are what we fight for! _

_Yes, which is why she should stay away from us!_

_But we're hurting her through that!_

_At least she won't be harmed!  
_

_The worst pain is emotional pain, and we're the ones causing that pain!_

_Yeah, but-_

"SHUT UP!" Shura roared, his magic pulsing from his body and shattering everything in the room. "Both of you just shut the fuck up! NOW!"

The two had gotten silent, allowing his heavy breathing to be the only thing that he could hear. Just as it looked like it was about to lessen, a former Eisenwald member burst through the door.

"Boss, are you oka-" He paused at seeing the trashed room. He paled as he saw Shura's eyes glare into his skull.

"What?" Shura hissed, magic pouring from him in waves. Seeing the man shake even frantically, Shura's anger grew as he snarled, the shadows lashing out and bisecting him in half, the two halves of his body falling to the ground. Unconsciously, Shura commanded the blood to crawl to him and enter his gourds. It only took him about a couple of minutes for him to realise what he had done. He had killed one of his own men in anger. He treated him like dirt. Because he was angry. Because he couldn't care less.

_He was acting exactly like Nifrit would've done._

Shura roared as he slammed the ground in anger, shattering the floor. He looked at his hands in horror, feeling disgusted with himself at acting similar to what that miserable, wretched filth that called herself a god. If he couldn't even be his own person, how was he going to get his revenge? How could he be strong enough to kill her, if he wasn't even strong enough to overcome his own self?!

Shura felt an unnatural weight press down on him as he simply laid on the floor, bursting into even more tears at his weakness. At his own insanity. Could he ever overcome the problems set before him? Could he ever find peace?

"Why?" he croaked to himself, sobbing quietly. "Why is my life like this?" Clenching his fist, Shura cried silently as the pain was becoming too much in his heart. "I didn't ask for this. I didn't ask to kill my mother. I didn't ask to be weak and pathetic. I didn't ask to be turned into-into a _monster. _I didn't ask to become a slave. I-I didn't ask-"

He paused, the words dying on his tongue. _I didn't ask... _A lot of things had happened to him without his wanting, some good. A lot of bad. All out of his control. And it seemed the bad was slowly outweighing all of the good.

_Am I destined to be some punching bag? Some kind of joke? A miserable, sad boy in a man's body? _Shura turned to lay on his back as he stared upwards, searching for something. _Will I ever be free from all in my life? Not just Nifrit, but from my burdens? From life?_

His questions would remain unanswered as he continued lying there, stuck in his own pool of darkness.

**XXX**

_(Fairy Tail Guild Hall)_

"OI, PASS THE DAMN BOOZE!"

"GET IT YOURSELF, LAZY BASTARD!"

"WHAT'D YOU CALL ME?!"

"YOU DAMN WELL HEARD ME, LAZY BASTARD!"

"THAT'S IT!"

The happiness that was felt in Fairy Tail knew no bounds. Lisanna laughed as she saw one of the members tackled the other, tumbling into a nearby table, and causing another fight to occur. She looked at the clock on the wall and frowned a bit. It had been two days since the 'Strongest Team' had left for their mission. It was only an A-Rank mission and with Erza, her sister and Lucy there, there was no doubt that it wouldn't take less than a day for the team to complete the mission and another day to just rest and then return to the guild.

Makarov had returned from his meeting with the other guild masters before them and Mira was sure that they would have reached back before, or at least with, the Third Master.

"Oh, don't worry, Lisanna-chan!" Makarov waved away carelessly. He adjusted the blue and orange, jester-like hat atop his head as he spoke. "I'm sure they're fine! They're probably just stuck with possibly paying for the likely damage they've caused..." Makarov's voice fell as tears suddenly spilled from his eyes as he sobbed at the images running through his head. Natsu burning down several buildings, Gray freezing and shattering them, Erza and Mira fighting and blowing away a number of people, monuments and houses, etc.

"WAAAH! Oh, please! Dear Mavis, don't let them destroy anything too important! Please!" Makarov begged as he got onto his knees, making Lisanna sweatdrop at the display.

"T-There, there, Master," she comforted, a bit unsure herself. It was a likely outcome, so it wasn't like she could convince him otherwise. Suddenly, there was the sound of loud knocking, or in this case, slamming, against the door. The entire guild became silent when they saw the doors slowly creak open. The light shadowed the figures that entered the guild, but from the large cart of luggage that appeared behind them, they knew that the 'Strongest Team' had returned.

"HEY, NATSU'S BACK!"

"ERZA-CHAN, MIRA-CHAN AND LUCY-CHAN ARE TOO!"

"EVERYONE, WELCOME BACK!"

The guild members all cheered for the safe return of their guid mates. However, everyone became silent when the shadows fell away to reveal Lucy pulling in the cart of luggage, Happy flew through the air with his head dropped low. In the cart... everyone's eyes widened at the sight.

Gray, unconscious, with no serious wounds on him.

Erza, without her usual armour, shivering in pain and sadness as she cried. That sight alone would've been enough for concern, as Erza was never seen crying at all. But what made it worse were the severe injuries on herself. Bruises adorned her body, along a large sword cut on her abdomen and several more on herself.

Mira, hands wrapped in lacking medical bandages as she winced with each movement of the cart.

But the worst was Natsu. He was fully unconscious, bleeding from what looked to be a hole in his stomach. It looked bandaged and cared to, but it wouldn't be enough. If any more time had passed, he'd die.

"H-Hey, what the hell happened to you guys?!" Macao yelled out in panic, eyes wide. That set everyone off, as they all started to scrambled towards the group, each one hopping over one another as they tried to get a closer look. Lucy looked uncomfortable with everyone in her face, firing off questions at rapid speeds. Combined with what had happened on the mission, she was feeling claustrophobic.

"STOP!" she yelled, getting everyone to do just that. All of them were silent as Lucy panted, finally able to breath as they all stepped back from her. She made to speak, but couldn't. Her body shook as tears sprang from her eyes.

Everyone looked alarmed, but were worried of stepping forward. Makarov watched his downed children and the magic power he gave off due to his anger was more than enough to fully silence the rowdy guild.

Makarov watched as Lisanna, Elfman, Macao and a few other guild members gently aided in helping up the unconscious and wounded members of their family, with Natsu being taken with even greater care and heading towards Porlyusica.

"Cana, get Lucy and Happy, and tell them to come to my quarters. I wish to speak to them of what happened," he ordered. The booze-drinking card-user nodded as she placed down her barrel of rum and went to get the two. Makarov then turned to the others.

"The rest of you will not ask, nor will you not do or say anything that relates to whatever situation my damaged children have recently faced. Am I understood?" the old man demanded lowly.

"But Master..." Levy spoke. Makarov turned to the blue haired Solid Script mage.

"I said, 'Am I understood?', Levy?" Makarov demanded again, as if acid were on his tongue. She gulped as she took note of the fury in her master's eyes and merely nodded. Jet and Droy watched as Makarov walked silently back to his office.

The other guild members then began to whisper amongst themselves as they came up with ideas as to what happened to their guild mates. They all turned their heads as they saw Cana leading Lucy, Happy and Gray - who seemed to have awakened - all with their heads down in shame, to the Master's office.

Cana tried smiling at the three, but they weren't even looking up as they entered Makarov's office. Sighing, she left them with the master.

Seeing the trio step inside, Makarov gave a smile. "Gray! Glad to see that you're up! And with you're clothes on, no less! That's a miracle in my book!" He then turned to Lucy. "Lucy, you're still looking as lovely as ever!" he laughed. Gray and Lucy looked up from the floor and watched Makarov in the eye and the elderly man continued to keep on the happy face... until it finally degenerated into the serious expression that was hidden behind it.

"My children, you probably experienced something very traumatic. What happens in my office, stays in my office, unless you want to tell your fellow guild mates about what happened," Makarov explained. Lucy's brown eyes lined with tears as she opened her mouth to speak, but a lump formed in her throat and her words refused to exit her vocal chords. Said words only came out in the form of a sob as Lucy fell to her knees, her face in her hands, and began to cry.

Makarov clenched his hands into fists as he looked at Gray and Happy, who were gritting their teeth with rage, but the frustration and sadness was shown in their eyes.

He spoke in a calm, grandfatherly tone as he looked at them. "Gray...Happy... I understand if you don't wish to talk about what happened, but as a parent, I need to know what happened to my children. Please, I want to help you all. I will do whatever it takes to punish the person or thing that did such a horrendous thing as to make Natsu, Mirajane and Erza bleed. A parent does not like to see the blood of his children, so please... just tell me."

If anything, his words made Lucy cry even harder, something that tore at his heart. She tucked her knees close to her large chest as Happy lay atop her blonde head of hair. Gray sighed as he realised that he would have to be the one to relay what happened to them. He took a deep breath of air to calm his nerves before speaking.

"It was after the member of Eisenwald who held the flute, Lullaby, had gotten away. We followed him on a Magic Four Wheeler and caught up to him... just in time to see him killed with the rest of Eisenwald." Makarov's eyes widened as he heard this.

"Killed?" he exclaimed. Gray nodded. "By whom?" the Wizard Saint asked. Gray gulped as he remembered the cold and merciless gaze... those red eyes...

"T-The SS-Class criminal, the man, no... the _monster_, that was labelled as 'Flee on Sight'. The Blood-dimmed King," Gray informed.

Makarov's eyes widened as he clenched the edge of his desk where he sat. "You met the Blood-dimmed King, and survived?!" he yelled, shocked at hearing the moniker of the criminal who had destroyed Grimoire Heart and Dark Claw. Gray nodded as he continued his tale. He told the master of how the Blood-dimmed King had greeted Lucy, something that had stumped him and made Lucy bite her lip at. Then the Ice-Make Mage discussed how easily he had taken them down without even breaking a sweat. How - from Lucy's shaky input - had defeated Erza in the acts of swordplay and magic. How he had managed to defeat her and put her in the state she, Mirajane and Natsu was currently in. Finally, Lucy had told him about what he had told practically all of them. About his views on killing, of them, of their family... of how they were weak.

A loud SNAP echoed throughout the room as Makarov, Gray, Lucy and Happy - who all jumped in surprise - all stared at the large piece of broken oak wood that Makarov had snapped off, having unconsciously made his arms shift partially into their muscular, Titan forms. The guild master looked at the wood in his hands before throwing them aside against the wall, embedding them in there.

"I... see," he finally said, before looking at Lucy. "Lucy, may I ask... how is it that you personally know the Blood-dimmed King? Did you encounter him before?"

Shaking her head, Lucy hesitantly answered, "N-No. B-Before I joined Fairy Tail, he stayed with my mother and I. We... we were friends." She wiped her eyes clean of the forming tears. "He helped us, when we needed it. Played with me while he was taught magic by my mother. Shura saved her life... saved mine. He's the reason why we joined Fairy Tail, all those years ago."

"Shura..." The name was spoken with confusion and loathing from Makarov's mouth, before he slightly nodded. "And... you haven't been in contact with him since?"

Lucy's bowed head was his answer, making him frown in confusion. If the Blood-dimmed King - now revealed to be Shura's name - was close friends with Lucy, why would he hurt her and her guild mates? It didn't make any sense.

"I.. I see. Well, I think you all should take a good rest now. Go back to your homes and sleep. Happy, I know you will wait with Natsu, so you can stay here in the guild at the medical ward until Natsu is able to leave." The winged cat nodded with a small smile.

"A-Aye," Happy replied, tears coming to his eyes at Natsu's condition. "Thank you, Master. Please... let him be safe. Let him come home." The cat then hugged the old man's head, before flying out of the door as Lucy and Gray exited. The other members of the guild watched silently as Lucy and Gray walked out of the guild.

Happy flew alongside the master as they headed towards where Porlyusica resided.

_And to think, them destroying a couple of buildings and causing massive collateral damage would be the least of my worries, _Makarov thought to himself.

**XXX**

_(Former Eisenwald Guild Hall, Eastern Outskirts, Onibus Town, Three Days Later)_

Shura sat on a throne, high above the members of the former Eisenwald Guild. He was listening to several of his own lackeys talk to him about them discussing several things of interest. "So, you've heard some rumours about the Bronze Keys?" Shura asked curiously. "How sure are you of those rumours?"

"Uh, yeah. And pretty accurate, boss," one female answered nervously, scratching the back of her head. "I-I mean, it was from a trusted friend, who... isn't really that well-trusted, now that I think about it... b-but her information was on point! I'm sure of it!"

Shura nodded. "Good. Head out and retrieve the Bronze Key for me. The rest of you keep your eyes and ears posted on any information you can pick up about any Dark Guilds of interest, as well as anything on Zeref. Understood?"

"Yes, boss!" was the cry that rang out across the hall. With that, they all went off to their assigned job.

Shura smiled a little at seeing his lackeys go about their job, also looking at the rest of them as they went about doing several jobs. Ever since he had forcefully beaten himself out of his depression and insanity, he had set about refurnishing the entire Eisenwald Guild, providing money, resources, jobs, food and other necessities needed to run the guild.

Turns out, using his massive amount of gold septims from Skyrim, along with several Flawless Diamonds, was able to get him and his workers a _lot _of jewels. He had racked in over seventy-five million jewels **(A.N. - Dunno how much it actually would be, but I'd say this is a fair amount)**. When he had finished forking over all of this, the owner of the pawn shop had promptly fainted from the amount of money, having suspected that he was a criminal of some kind to receive this kind of money.

Well, in a way, he wasn't wrong...

Anyway, with the vast amount of wealth he had managed to attain, Shura quickly set about furnishing the guild to his liking, getting a better, much more respectable building to be built. And by that, he had changed it to a large, black castle. Admittedly, he had gotten a _little _carried away, but the magical defences set about it made the cost all the more worth it.

Shura had also taken to applying several Silencing Runes, as well as using his Darkness Curse to project an aura of darkness around the place, allowing visible eyes to be unable to penetrate the veil. Even if the eyes were enhanced by magic or magical equipment, the absolute density of the darkness didn't allow anything or anyone to be able to enter it without his own admission. In addition, a layer of Protection Runes littered the floor surrounding the entire fields, along with the entrance.

The downside to his defences left the guild itself darker than normal, making it harder for some to see. Along with that, transportation was also a problem, as getting in and out would prove to be a hassle. To counteract this, Shura had purchased hundreds of lacrima to use as lighting across the castle, allowing it to look exactly as it would in normal daylight.

For transportation, Shura had manifested several dark portals that he had taken to call Warp Zones. Simply put, they allowed Shura to transport anyone who had his permission outside and inside of the guild, provided they had gotten through the Runes, first. And since he was connected with the darkness shield surrounding his castle, he would know who entered, where they entered, and summon them to himself in the main hall.

This gave Shura complete control of the guild itself, as well as all those who left and entered it. This eased his paranoia, as he wasn't going to allow invaders, intruders or traitors any mercy.

There was also several new investments that went about the reformed guild. Down below - in the dungeons of the castle - a table was set up with an eerie light, as a skull stood in the centre of the piece, along with numerous Runes and engravings that would be lost on those unfamiliar with the lore of Tamriel, and the written language of the Dovah. It took a good while, but he had managed to complete and set up his Arcane Enchanter.

With this, he had managed to enchant several dozen Stalhrim Armours that he had obtained, and gifted them to his members. It was a small sign of trust, to earn their loyalty be gifting them so that they wouldn't be weak. He only did it for a select few, to show that he was benevolent, but strict. They had to earn the right for the protection, otherwise there'd be no point in giving them out.

The final addition to the guild was in his own office, featuring all that he would need; a desk, bed, small library and some food stored. At the centre, however, stood a pillar with an opening at the top, containing a grotesque eye shrouded by inky darkness that floated in the centre.

Shura had drained the residual magic from the Oghma Infinium and transferred it to the pillar, allowing some of Hermaeus Mora's essence to be there. A disgusting piece of shit he may be, but that didn't mean that Shura couldn't use his magic and power to his advantage. He had formed the eye to allow it to be a central and vital artefact; renamed the Eye of Hermaeus Mora. With it, along with several powerful spells drawn straight from the Oghma Infinium and Black Books, he could track several key locations across Earthland.

And while that sounded amazing, there were a few drawbacks. It held a limited range, roughly being twenty feet from the castle. The Eye was still in its developing stage, so hopefully Shura could improve the range.

Another was the fact that he had to know specifically where he was looking. Meaning that if he had no precise location in mind, the Eye of Hermaeus Mora wouldn't show him anything. Meaning that Tartaros and other Etherious remained out of his reach. And even then, it wasn't guaranteed that the location and people that he _wanted _to spy on would show, since the magic was fickle like that.

Still, he was glad of all that he had created. It had left him feeling like he had actually accomplished something, rather than continuing to wallow in his guilt and sorrow. Downing his Nord Mead in his cup, Shura kept on mentally going over everything that he had done with the former Eisenwald Guild. It was hardly recognisable from what it looked like before. Not even the name was the same.

Ah, yes. The change in name. Shura had decided to rename the guild to something of his liking. He wanted something simple, yet could get the message across to any enemies they may (possibly) make in the future. After bouncing the idea off of a few heads, he decided on one.

And so, Eisenwald was renamed into Erebus' Pit. The name was slightly fitting, he had to admit. Though, he was slightly biased, of course.

Shura finished his Nord Mead, sighing slightly as he could feel his earlier aggression go down slightly. He was fully focused. Calm, even. So, he could take care of a late task.

Alerting his lackeys of his need to leave, Shura burst into shadows to an unknown and abandoned field he had discovered. Large enough for what he needed to do.

Reaching into his cloak, Shura took out the flute that was Lullaby. He held it out to see, squinting at it. Eventually, he decided the best way to awaken the flute was to use his Curse power to get a reaction out of it. Lullaby glowed with a purple light, before a sinister laughter echoed across the air.

**"You know... I'm getting real tired of waiting for someone to play me! But seeing as you won't, I'll just take your soul for myself!" **Suddenly, Lullaby started rattling even more. Shura looked up into the sky and noticed the blue sky had become obscured by the dark purple clouds that had suddenly formed, along with the large magic seal that formed in the air. A dark purple tower of light erupted from the flute before the flute itself began to grow. It twisted and turned as it began to transform. Shura stared at the rising behemoth before the light died down and then with a flash of purple lightning, the roar of a powerful beast echoed through the air.

In the place of a flute, was a towering beast. It appeared to be entirely made of twisted and mangled wood. It had large, powerful legs and arms. Each foot and hand was equipped with sharp claws, three on each foot and five on each hand with one of the hand claws appearing to act like a thumb. There was a large hole in the middle of its torso and stomach. Two spikes of wood protruded from its shoulder blades and one spike of wood was placed on each shoulder. It had sharp spikes of wood protruding from the top of its skull that were bent at an angle making it appear to have horns. Its mouth was placed into a wide grin, open to reveal the sharp teeth within. Its three eyes - all a deep violet - shone brightly within the darkness brought about by the clouds.

Shura stared at the Etherious, studying its features. It looked nothing like the demons of Tartaros, who looked vaguely humanoid. It depicted the monstrous appearance of demons quite well.

"**Well, human?! Are you so frightened by my appearance that you're afraid to speak?" **Lullaby bragged, a cruel grin on his face.

Shura just stared at Lullaby, eyebrow raised. "Hardly. I'm just so surprised that something as pathetic as you can be considered an Etherious, let alone a demon."

Lullaby's features twisted into a furious expression. "**Pathetic?! You dare mock the all-powerful demon, Lullaby?!"**

Shura snorted, an amused glint in his eyes. "Kinda easy to do so with a name like 'Lullaby'."

"**Death shall be your fate, you miserable human**!" Lullaby roared, charging up an energy ball in its jaws. A powerful violet beam erupted from its mouth, heading towards Shura. Holding out his hand, Shura called out, "Black Vortex."

His hand turned smokey black as the beam of energy was getting sucked into the newly formed hole from Shura's hand, eventually dying down as Lullaby stared at him, eyes wide. "**Wh-What is this**?!" Lullaby yelled in shock, confused as to what occurred. "**How can you stop my attack?! How?!"**

Not bothering to answer the Etherious' question, Shura slammed his hand down onto the ground. "Black Hole," he muttered, the ground turning pitch black from his Curse taking affect. Gravity seemed to increase as a widening black hole formed under Lullaby, making it yell in surprise as he was brought down by an extreme weight, making it grunt as he fell flat on his front.

"**T-This power..." **Lullaby grunted, struggling to even lift its head up. "**This is no m-magic. I-It feels like-" **Lullaby's eyes widened as it came to its conclusion. "**N-No... you're an Etherious?!"**

"Unfortunately," Shura remarked, stepping forward, until his was looking straight down at the demon in the eye. "Now, Lullaby. I need some information. Information that I'm sure that you contain. In exchange for giving me this information - and you better pray that it's correct - I will be merciful, and grant you a swift death."

Lullaby scoffed, glaring up at Shura. **"Please, as if I should believe a word you say! You think you can get me to talk. I am the mighty Lulla-AAAAAAAHHH!" **It screeched as Shura's left hand darkened, the gravity in its prison increasing until he was kissing the ground. It's body was started to crack and break under the pressure.

"See, I was hoping that you'd resist," Shura admitted with a sadistic smile. "I have a deep hatred for your kind, and so I'm eager for your defiance. If I don't end up with the information I want, I can at least say that I took pleasure in torturing you."

Lullaby grunted and groaned from screaming and struggling so much. Shura allowed the gravity to lessen as Lullaby glared up at the half-Etherious. "**Why do you hate your own kind?" **it whispered weakly, confused. Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say, as the demon screeched as its wooden body broke slightly as gravity started to crush him. Cracks started to cover him entirely as he yelled in pain.

"I am _nothing _like you demon _filth," _Shura growled, eyes glowing as he mentally calmed himself down, telling himself that he needed information first, then the torture could come later. "And unless you start answering my questions, I will keep on increasing the gravity around you, until you're nothing but wooden remains on the ground."

Lullaby whimpered and mewled, not even having enough strength to glare at Shura. "**T-Talk," **it simply pleaded.

Shura's eyes narrowed as he asked, "Where is Tartaros?" He did his best not to look eager for the information, as he interrogated the demon.

"**Tartaros? Why are you so inter-" **Lullaby started to say, until it saw Shura's darkening expression. It quickly answered. "**I don't know!" **He added quickly, feeling the effects of the gravity field. "**I-I'm telling the truth! I have no idea! I'm not a big-time Etherious in comparison to the Nine Demon Gates! B-But I do know who does!"**

Lullaby waited for its eventual demise, but noticed that nothing happened. Eyes previously closed, it opened one of its eyes to see Shura's expectant look. Taking advantage of this, he continued. "**One demon that comes to mind is Deliora. I'm sure you've heard of him." **Shura nodded in agreement. "Yes. I heard that it had met its death at the hands of a famous Ice-Make Mage, Ur Milkovich."

**"Yes, Deliora was... never quite the brightest of us demons. Though, he was one of Zeref-sama's most used demons and Zeref-sama did use him many times during the battles he fought in the icy tundra in the northern areas of Fiore. He would know much more about Zeref-sama's other demons, including Tartaros."**

Shura nodded slowly, absorbing the information. "Do you know where Deliora is?" Lullaby had to think quickly for a moment, before coming up with an answer.

**"As you know, Deliora was said to have been killed by that ice mage you mentioned earlier. However, we demons are immortal and so we cannot be killed. However, even if Deliora is still alive, we never got along so, no. I do not know of Deliora's whereabouts."**

"I see," Shura remarked, scowling. "Well, then. Time to die."

"**Wait!" **Lullaby interjected, making Shura growl at it. "**I-I have to ask: why do you hate Etherious so much when you are one yourself?"**

"Because the Etherious took so much from me," Shura revealed, humouring the demon moments before its death. "They took my life, my humanity, my right to live, my family, my home..." Images burst into his mind, making him clench his fist hard enough to draw blood. "I have been left with nothing but a burning hatred that is hotter than the flames of hell. And it will not be quenched until _all _of you are eradicated."

"**Even you?" **the demon questioned, making Shura's patience evaporate. Clenching his blackened hand, Shura increased the gravity so much that the ground in front of him was obliterated as the black hole collapsed, taking the demon - and its soul - with it, vanishing into the abyss. The darkness drew back into Shura's palm as he panted, digesting and going over the information in his mind, pointedly ignoring Lullaby's question.

**XXX**

_(Heartfilia Residence, Magnolia, Two Days Later)_

Layla Heartfilia closed the door to her daughter's room, having cleaned out the bed sheets stained with tears and snot. She sighed as she walked towards her own room to think.

Layla had aged quite well over the years. Her face looked identical to Lucy's, only with a more mature look to it. Not to mention that her breasts were much bigger than her daughters, something that was also struggling to be contained in her clothes, consisting of a simple house dress.

_Seriously, it must be a genetic thing, _she noted in annoyance, grabbing the fabric and allowing her girls more room. She sighed as entered her room, sitting on the bed to contemplate over what she had been told.

Shura had become the Blood-dimmed King. The sweet, troubled boy she knew so long ago, had become an SS-Rank criminal with a 'Flee-on-Sight' warning. When she had first heard this, she wanted to deny the entire thing, vehemently wishing that what she had been told was some sick joke.

But no. Lucy had told her in detail what had occurred with him and her guild mates. How she had reunited with the boy she was seriously crushing on (no matter how much she wished to deny it), only for him to seriously injure and even almost kill her friends. And then, his parting words.

Layla frowned. She knew that Shura was hiding something the last time she had met him. Was it to do with his current criminal life? Or did all of this start after he had left them? Not for the first time, she cursed the fact that she didn't pry into Shura's personal life. It would've been rude at the time, but at least she would've been provided with the answers to her questions.

She bit her thumb nervously, unconsciously biting hard enough to draw blood. She gazed down at the liquid coming from her thumb in slight awe, a small amount of hunger suddenly appearing as she stared at it. Suddenly, her eyes changed from warm brown to blood red. Layla gasped, swiping the blood away as she panted, her eyes returning back to their normal colour.

"It's happening again," she murmured to herself worriedly. Layla had been having these episodes whenever she saw blood. Just the sight of it was able to lull her into a trance. When this started happening a few years ago, she had been mystified as to why she was like this. First, she went into a trance. Then, she suddenly gained a strange thirst for the liquid. It had taken several Fairy Tail guild members to restrain her once she had entered her trance, as she had taken to trying to hunt down different people over the years.

Thankfully, Layla had managed to calm herself down recently, but she couldn't forget the weary looks that were sent her way; both from Fairy Tail and the residents of Magnolia. The sneers, the fearful glances, the curses... it was why she had relocated with Lucy to a far enough place from the civilians, to avoid the rumours and whispers behind her back. Though, she had a reason as to why she was acting like this.

_Everything seems to revolve around him these days, _Layla mused as she went to the kitchen to clean away the dishes. She hummed to herself, idly wondering what Shura had done to her exactly. His spell had saved her life, made her stronger and faster than a good majority of mages. Moreso, she could feel an unnatural amount of varying emotions; rage, sorrow, the rare sprout of happiness, and even the severe case of darkness just recently. She had a suspicion as to why she was feeling these.

It seemed like Shura's spell did more than save her. It _connected _them on a somewhat spiritual level. It was the only explanation she could think of, especially given the intense emotions.

She paused as tears suddenly spilled from her eyes, recalling the dark emotions. _I nearly broke down and cried myself to death recalling just a _fraction _of those feelings. W-Was that what Shura had to deal with daily? _A hand came to her mouth as she kept on crying, only standing tall due to sheer will. _T-There was so much desperation. So much heartache and anguish. Just what happened to the sweet boy I knew... that turned him into who he is today?_

As she silently cried, she bent down to grab a cloth, dabbing her eyes slowly. As she stood up and turned around, she gasped suddenly, seeing the person literally appear almost out of thin air.

A small smile filled with slight happiness and nostalgia appeared on Shura's face as he stared at the older Heartfilia. "I take it that you found out about the link between the two of us?"

At that moment, Layla wanted to cry, scream, and yell at Shura, all at once. She wanted to question why he felt all of those feelings, why he was doing all the things he was doing. However, she was so choked up by emotion that all she did was run towards him, enveloping him in a massive hug as she sobbed loudly into his shoulder.

Shura was thankful that he had placed Silencing Runes along Lucy's door, or else she would've been woken up by the loud sounds of her mother crying. He wrapped arms around Layla's waist as he held her against him. Taking in her vanilla scent, her long blonde hair that tickled his nose, Shura's eyes finally filled with tears as he held her close to him, crying silently.

The two shook as Layla's sobs started to turn quieter. She stroked his hair as Shura inhaled her scent, familiarising himself with it as he continued to hold her tightly. No words were said to each other at the moment, both content with the feeling of being in each other's arms. Finally, Layla spoke.

"You know that I'm angry at you for leaving us all those years ago."

"I know," was Shura's quiet response.

"And I'm also angry at you for making Lucy cry."

"I know," he answered, pain creeping into his tone.

"But..." Holding him closer to her and placing his face in her palms, she smiled beautifully, tears still falling from her eyes. "I... I just want to hold you. I don't want to talk about you being the Blood-dimmed King, or this link between us. I just-"

Shura interrupted her by holding her own face, sparks of happiness flickering in his crimson orbs. "I know. I'm just..." He forced back another sob as he left the tears on his face to dry. "I missed you. You and Lucy. So much. I'm not sure if I can give you the answers you want right now. But... I do plan to. Soon."

The God Slayer banished thoughts of Nifrit, of the information from Lullaby, and all of his other plans out of his mind for the moment. He just wanted to relax, with Layla in his arms. It was the first time in a long while that he had been given a hug. A genuine hug. Quite frankly, it was a first for him to be completely unsure as to how to proceed.

There was a warmth, however. A warmth that flowed in his eyes. A warmth that Layla felt through their connection. Smiling, Shura brought Layla to the couch in the house to relax, a spark of hope burning in his gut.

**This wasn't supposed to come out today.**

**I know that's an odd statement coming from me, especially given the fact that I only updated one of my stories last month. I did plan to post this much later, but I decided to go ahead posting this now.**

**Reason for me being slow is because of finals, which I've started (and am slowly surviving). Now my supposedly free time is being eaten up. So no one expect any quick updates after this one. Just decided to post this to tell y'all what's happening.**

**Anywho, story time.**

**Hope y'all liked the chapter. This chapter and the next shouldn't involve too much action. That could change, but that's the general plan. Shura had an out-of-body experience, a mental break down, then started to build up his guild. The idea of him setting up an Independent Guild has been on my mind. To others, it'd be classified as a Dark Guild, but it'll mainly be Grey.**

**I plan for the Fairy Tail bunch to recover somewhat more hardened and aware of the actual world, rather than choking on (as well as trying to choke others) with the continuous nakama bullshit. **

**By the way, I've been keeping up somewhat with the new manga, and all I have to say is... why couldn't Ignia replace Natsu as Igneel's Dragon Slayer throughout the series?! Seriously, his intro. alone was enough for me to like him more than Natsu, despite his progress throughout Fairy Tail! Seriously, Mashima?! Nakama-loving Natsu can get replaced by badass Ignia any day! God-fucking-dammit!**

**Other than that, Kyria's intro was badass and sexy as well, so there's that. And the Dragon Eaters were also cool, so...**

**Anyways, Guest review time:**

**1) Yes, this is the route I'm taking for Shura. I actually like the challenge of writing the girls in the harem (some of them, that is) hating him, and then loving him. And while toning down the killing may help with what you're saying, that's the premise of the story. The harem girls being affected by this is something that I'll take care of.**

**2) Juvia's staying. Kagura's already added, so...**

**3) No. Why would you think it's discontinued? I've taken longer breaks for my stories, and they're still going. If I was discontinuing them, I'd say it.**

**Well, that's it. Hope y'all f,f,r and r the story. Luv all those who continue to do so. Hopefully, I can update soon, but I ain't promising anything.**

**Read and Review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14:**

"You've grown so much," Layla remarked, a beautiful smile on her face as her fingers traced Shura's jawline. The two were sitting on the couch in her home, a tray of tea in front of them. None of them properly touched it yet, too engrossed with their conversation.

Shura smiled. "Yeah. That's what happens when time flies."

"Oh, hush you," she retorted, a playful frown on her face as Shura chuckled. "It's not fun to tease a person so much."

Frowning, the half-Etherious gave her a deadpanned look. "If I remember correctly, you used to tease me and Lucy endlessly when we were both younger."

Blushing a little at getting caught, she waved her hand. "Semantics. Besides, the statement holds true for young, beautiful women such as myself."

Shura snorted, making Layla scowl at him. "Is there something that you'd like to say?"

"Yes, your vanity hasn't seemed to have decreased as time flew," he retorted cheekily, making Layla scowl even more as she slapped his arm. A wince followed as she stared at his arms.

"It seems you've been working out," she noted playfully, smiling coyly. "Hoping to impress Lucy with your big, strong arms?"

Shura scoffed. "Of course," he replied sarcastically, standing up to flex dramatically. "How can no one be impressed by these?" He puffed up playfully, making Layla fall back into the couch with laughter.

He stopped the growing smile on his face as he stared at the older woman. It was good to hear her laugh again. The only thing he had to hold onto was distant memories of a better past. Tears started to prick his eyes, before he forced them - as well as the growing depression - down. There were enough tears shed.

"So how have you been?" he questioned, sitting back on the couch.

Layla beamed happily. "It's been great, actually! Lucy came to Fairy Tail like she wanted, and she was gushing the entire time!" She giggled as she remembered the look of excitement that crossed Lucy's face as she stared at the guild hall for the first time. "And when she was accepted in with no problems, she almost fainted out of pure joy!"

"I'd imagine," Shura commented, a smile on his face as he tried to picture the memory. "She really has grown, hasn't she?"

"She has," Layla remarked brightly, a proud smile on her face. "She's come so far. Not just in terms of her personality, her magic! She's taken to Celestial Spirit Magic like a fish to water! It's made me so proud!" She looked at him. "By the way, how have Cancer and Capricorn been treating you?"

Shura gave a small wince, almost barely noticeable. "I... haven't gotten around to using them for battle." He didn't want to say 'useless', as Capricorn was the one who taught him the basics for hand-to-hand combat. Cancer was useful for some amusement. But outside of that...

Layla frowned. "I see," was all she said. That suddenly made Shura feel even worse. Layla had gifted the Celestial Spirits to him out of the kindness of her heart, and here he was, not even using them.

"T-That doesn't mean that I'll never use them!" he quickly retorted. "Just... most of my fights have been fought by myself. Trying to change that kind of fighting style is... odd." He winced again. Yeah, even he knew that excuse was bullshit.

"Shura, while I can understand that you may face difficult opponents, given your... reputation..." Layla hesitated at the word, "that doesn't mean that you should neglect your Spirits. They're your comrades, friends, partners. A good Celestial Spirit Mage's duty-"

"-Is to care for their Spirits," Shura interrupted, reciting what he had been told by her long ago. He sighed. "I know. And... I'm sorry about that. Really."

Smiling, Layla patted his cheek. "As long as you remember that. And don't forget it, mister!"

"Yes, ma'am," Shura chuckled, surprising himself at how calm and natural the words flowed from his mouth. He was usually surrounded by an air of angst, or anger, or misery. Basically, he noted with some annoyance, like an emo. But now, he felt all of those feelings wash away when he was with Layla. It was... nice, actually. A breath of fresh air from his normal life.

The two finished chuckling, the silence hanging between them. Finally, Layla made to speak. "Shura..." The God Slayer looked intensely at her, curious. "D-Do you... remember the promise you made to me... about h-having goodness in your heart?"

Shura's eyes widened, feeling like he had ingested sand down his throat. His heart felt constricted. That promise... that felt like a lifetime ago. _"'I want you to remember that - as bad as things may be - you still have people who love and cherish you. Who love your kindness and good heart. So please, keep that.'"_

"Y-Yeah," he answered, struggling to swallow. "I-I remember."

Layla was silent for a moment, staring at Shura, presumably looking for an answer. Looking into his eyes, searching for that supposed 'goodness' within him. Finally, she nodded. "Come with me." She stood up, taking his hand as she dragged him along. Shura allowed himself to be dragged along, confused.

W-Where are we going?" he questioned, curious as to where Layla was taking him. The elder Heartfilia turned to give him a beautiful smile, not answering his question. "It's a secret!"

With that, she dragged him out of the house.

**XXX**

_(Magnolia Church/Orphanage)_

"So, why exactly did you need me to come here?" Shura questioned, his features having been covered by Transformation Magic Layla had performed on him to hide his features. They stood in front of the orphanage, having walked through the town with civilians muttering words behind Layla's back, like 'demon', 'freak' and 'monster'. If not for Layla's whispers in his ear to calm him down, he would've flown into a blind rage and slaughtered all of them.

The blonde Heartfilia had a small smile on her face as she turned to him. "I want you to spend some time with the kids in the orphanage."

Raising an eyebrow, Shura repeated, "Again; why did you bring me here?"

Sighing, Layla explained. "I usually spend some time here in my free time, helping the matrons out with some of the children. It's nice, plus it gives me time to spend whenever Lucy is out on a job."

Shura frowned slightly. "And the matrons don't resent you?"

"They don't now," she answered simply, making his frown deepen. She sighed. "Shura, it's fine. I don't blame you - and don't you say anything, I can see it on your face." Shura huffed at her rebuttal. "The matrons have warmed up to me, and apparently the kids seem to love me. And I brought you here because I wanted to remind you of something."

At his quizzical look, she simply smiled as she knocked on the door. After a few moments, an elderly woman opened the door. She wore maroon robes and a head-dress that covered most of her wrinkles.

Her face brightened up at seeing who was at the door. "Layla-san, how amazing it is to see you! And..." She turned to look at Shura's disguised face. "Hello! Are you a friend of Layla's?"

"Yes. My name is Raizen," Shura answered, giving a fake name to further hide his identity. He could feel Layla's gaze bore into his head, but he ignored it.

The old woman smiled. "Well, any friend of Layla's is a friend of mine! My name is Lily! It's nice to meet you!" Lily turned to Layla, missing Shura's frown. This woman was way too cheerful and trusting. "The children are going to love to see you! But it is a bit unexpected of you to come at this time."

"Yes. Well, I wanted to show my friend Raizen the orphanage," Layla answered, smiling. "Is it okay to see them now?"

Lily brightened. "Of course, of course! Come in!" As she stepped aside, two human bullets suddenly slammed into Layla, knocking her to the ground. Shura immediately tensed, almost about to use his magic to attack, but calmed down as he saw that it was two children.

"Layla-san is back!" one of the children screamed. She had brown hair that reached the middle of her back and large brown eyes. She had a long white dress with a red coat, along with sandals.

"Did you miss us, Layla-san?! Did you?!" the other child asked excitedly. This one had the same brown hair as the other girl, but her hair only went down to her shoulders. She wore a long red dress with a white coat, wearing sandals as well.

"We missed you!" the children said as one, making Layla beam as she hugged them to her chest. Shura watched the scene before him, his lips twitching into a small smile at the sight. He had to admit, the sight of Layla with the two kids looking at her happily made for a lovely sight.

"You should visit more!" the first child complained, pouting cutely.

"She is very busy, you shouldn't expect her to come so often," the second child defended.

"Mina, Lisa, don't fight, please," Layla chided, making the two nod quickly. She smiled as she stood up, hugging the two tightly. "I missed you very much." She turned to Shura. "Raizen, I'll deal with these two rascals. You can meet the other children inside."

He was still unsure as to what Layla was trying to accomplish, but he went along. "Alright," he nodded, following Lily inside as the two headed towards the playground near the back. As he walked, he kept glancing back at the two children in Layla's arms, seeing the joy on all of their faces.

"She's a blessing," Lily commented, seeing Shura's glances. "She's helped me tremendously with catering to all of the children."

"You don't have any other matrons in the orphanage?" Shura asked, seeing the toys all scattered around the room, carefully moving across them.

Lily shook her head sadly. "No, I'm afraid not. Money is something that's quite scarce here. I'm trying the best that I can, but..." Her words died off, but Shura had gotten the message. Then how could the children and matron be happy, given their situation?

Shura took another glance near the entrance, seeing Layla entertain the children with her. He smiled lightly, having somewhat of answer for his question.

Lily and Shura arrived at the playground, seeing a number of children run about, playing different kinds of games with each other. Some had smiles on their faces as they played. Others sat with each other, whispering and chattering amicably.

"Children!" Lily announced loudly, getting many of the children to stop and listen to her. "Miss Layla has come to visit the orphanage, and has even brought a friend!" She gestured towards Shura. "His name is Raizen. Remember to be polite and on your best behaviour."

"Yes, Lily-san." "Yes, Lily-kaa-san." Were the responses that followed, making Lily brighten visibly.

A couple of children ran up to Shura, grabbing his legs. "Ne, ne! Are you a mage?!" one of the boys asked, excitement on his face.

"What kind of magic do you use?!" a girl asked this time.

"Are you in Fairy Tail?!" came afterwards.

More questions came piling up as Shura was having a small panic attack. This many people in his space that wasn't due to sex or fighting set off his alarm bells. He wasn't used to this much confrontation at once, and so was fighting his natural urge to kill.

"Alright, that's enough!" Lily yelled sternly, immediately causing the children to back off, making Shura sigh in relief. The matron stared angrily at all of the sullen children. "Remember, one at a time! Yelling all at once won't get you anywhere!" She turned to Shura. "I'm sorry about that, Raizen."

"I-It's alright," he nodded, warily looking at each of the children before him. Breathing in more naturally, he bent down slightly, a strained smile on his face. "So, kids. What do you want to ask?"

"A-Are you a mage?" one of the few boys who had rushed him asked quietly.

Shura nodded tentatively, smiling a little. "I am."

"What kind of magic do you have? Is it like Miss Layla's?" the same boy asked.

"That, as well as others," Shura answered hesitantly. He sat down and gestured for the kids to come towards him, one at a time. He began to tell them an edited version of his adventures, making his trip to Skyrim seem like an exaggerated tale deliberately. As good as it was to brag, no one on Earthland would fully believe him if he told stories of him slaying dragons and absorbing their souls. He even summoned Capricorn and Cancer, who - once he had apologised to the two of them for not summoning enough - showed off to the kids. Cancer especially was helpful, as he had given many of the children stylish haircuts while muttering "ebi" while doing it, wowing them spectacularly.

"Wow, you're so cool!" Liam, one of the many boys who had looked at Shura as someone awesome, exclaimed as he saw the God Slayer do some elaborate moves with some small swords that he had sunmoned via Requip Magic. "You're like a ninja!"

Shura snorted, the similarities with the profession and his life making the comment more hiliarious; enjoyed the dark way too much, paranoid, covered themselves with clothing to conceal their identity, etc. "Maybe you're onto something there."

"What other tricks do you have up your sleeve?" Miriam, one of the girls, asked, bouncing up and down.

Having made himself much more calmer and more carefree around the children, Shura smiled and hummed. "Well..." Placing his hands behind his back, Shura quickly Requipped some cakes and sweets that he had picked up, as a sort of treat for the Heartfilias. He was, however, content with giving it to the children. In a dramatic flourish, he revealed the presents to the kids, who stood slack-jawed. "Ta-da!"

"Sweets!" they all squealed excitedly, the sounds almost bursting Shura's eardrums. They all scampered towards Shura, eagerly grabbing them out of his hands and yelling out, "Thank you!" while doing so.

"We never get any sweets!" Lucian yelled out excitedly, stuffing his face full of the sugary goodness. At his words, almost everyone stopped.

Raising an eyebrow in confusion, Shura turned towards Lily, who stood very still. "I get the feeling that there's something going on that I'm not in on. You do get them sweets and stuff... right?"

She cringed at the question. He probably hadn't mean to phrase it that way, but the underlying meaning was still there.

"No," Miriam answered, shuffling a bit at the now silent and tense atmosphere. "Lily-kaa-san doesn't usually get us sweets or treats from some of the bakeries, saying that there's not enough money."

Shura rubbed his neck, feeling very awkward all of a sudden. "O-Oh. Well, sweets aren't everything. I'm sure you guys eat kinds of food. L-Like breakfast-"

"Burnt toast and a couple of eggs," Miriam answered, the entire playground going completely silent at the truth. "If we're lucky, we get a scrap of meat every now and again."

"Shut up, Miriam!" Liam snapped angrily. "Stop being ungrateful!"

"What? It's the truth and you know it! Lily-kaa-san is always either too tired or too much in a hurry in the morning to ever make anything good before we go to school!" she snapped back.

"It's not her fault! You know she's trying her best!"

"Well, her best isn't good enough!" Miriam yelled. "It's never enough!"

Now everyone was staring at the scene before them.

Liam glared at her, annoyed. "If you're not happy to live here, then leave! No one wants you here!"

Miriam stared at Liam, stunned. Apparently, Liam himself was stunned as well. And then, tears in her eyes, she ran off, sobbing silently.

"Miriam!" Lily yelled, wanting to chase after the girl, only for Shura to place a hand on her shoulder. "I'll deal with it," he offered, nodding as he walked after the girl. Leaving the matron to dish out a suitable punishment for Liam.

Shura frowned as he walked inside the building, hearing Miriam's sobs coming from up the stairs. He didn't know what exactly motivated him to step in and help. He didn't know the first thing about comforting a person, let alone a child. He was the worst person to go for this.

So why? Why exactly did he step in and help?

_It's because she reminds you of you when you were younger, _a voice answered in his mind, making him immediately scowl. He assumed that it was Nifrit, but slowly tossed that option away. There was no cruel tint in the words, no malice or false sweetness. Hopefully it wasn't a random voice in his head. He was already insane, he didn't need voices in his head to confirm it.

He looked around the number of rooms, the sobs that he'd heard helping him walk towards a particular door that belonged to Miriam. He knocked gently, hearing the sniffles stop. "G-Go away," she muttered quietly.

"Miriam? It's me, Raizen. Is it okay for me to come in?" he asked gently. After a few seconds of silence, Shura felt like Miriam was going to ignore him. But then the door was unlocked, and Miriam stepped forward, her eyes red with small tear streaks down her cheeks.

"What do you want?" she hiccuped, trying to put on a brave face.

"To talk," Shura answered simply. "Can I come in? Please?"

Looking at him suspiciously, the girl stepped aside, allowing Shura to walk inside. The room was bare, with only a few posters up on the walls and a bed on the floor as a sign that someone lived here. There were no drawer, no desk, nothing.

The God Slayer didn't say anything as he sat down on the bed, patting the space beside him. Miriam joined him, twiddling her thumbs as she did so.

"So..." Shura started, mentally going over what he should say.

"Are you here to make me say 'sorry' to that jerk Liam?" she asked angrily.

"No," Shura answered slowly. He then decided to be upfront with the girl. He shot a small grin at her. "Honestly? I don't know why I'm here. I don't have the slightest idea. Maybe it's to help you out with your issues, maybe it's to help Lily out, or maybe it's just to talk? I haven't quite figured it out yet."

She gave him a long silent look.

"I'm not sure about a lot of things lately. Like you guys, for instance," he admitted honestly. "Meeting you guys… it confused me."

"Confused... you?" Miriam frowned in thought. "How?"

"I... I've been where you guys were. Well, sort of," he confessed. "I got through it my own way. But I can't say my own way is the best way. In fact, I'm still trying to deal with my own problems. And yet, I see you guys here, all... happy. Sure, you had your own blowout, but honestly? That seemed so... so real. And yet unexpected."

Miriam hummed. "I wouldn't say that we're real or unexpected. A lot of us feel the same way I feel, but are too scared to admit it. We have our own issues."

"And I get it. Those issues, how you react to them… it's what makes you real. I..." Shura had a mirthful expression on his face. "I can't say I'd react the same. I will say that I do agree with you." At her surprised look, he chuckled. "What? You thought I was going to force you to accept how things are and be satisfied? No, you're reaction is justified. Much better than going around, smiling like idiots and pretending to be blind to the world's problems..."

Shura clenched his fist as he scowled, thoughts of Fairy Tail popping into his mind. He almost spat in disgust, but managed to restrain himself.

"Are you okay?" Miriam asked, concerned.

"I'm fine. Just take note; if you encounter any Fairy Tail mage apart from Lucy - Layla's daughter - who spouts out some bullshit-" At Miriam's gasp, Shura quickly corrected himself "uh, _rubbish, _just kick them in the shin for me, okay?"

Miriam stared at him, before she giggled. "You're weird."

Shura blinked. "That's... a new one."

"I'm telling Lily-kaa-san that you said a bad word."

"Hmmph. Then I guess no more sweets, then."

At her gasp, she immediately said, "U-Uh, forget I said anything! Please?!"

Shura chuckled. Pretty soon, Miriam joined him, their laughter leading to silence eventually.

"I... I didn't want to be mean to Lily-kaa-san," Miriam muttered, a downcast expression on her face. "I just... sick and tired of our situation. We're poor, no one wants to take us in, and we always either have to go hungry or keep wearing the same worn-out clothes for years!"

Shura was quiet as he kept on listening to the girl rant.

"And I get it?" she sighed, tears prickling her eyes. "I get that I'm not helping the situation at all, that Lily-kaa-san is doing her best, but that's it! Her best isn't good enough! I-If things don't work out, w-we might end up homeless! We'll lose the orphanage! All of us will be separated! I-I don't-" Sobs escaped her lips as she cried, suddenly thrusting herself onto Shura as she held onto him, missing his widened eyes.

Hesitantly, he patted her back as he looked confused. Try as he might, he found it hard to comfort her. He could relate with her. Miriam looked to be twelve, roughly thirteen. At her age, he had no one to turn to initially. He was a wreck of emotions, unstable as the temptations of death and chaos appealed to him. All he had was a clinging hope that he could possibly be free from his shackles, and live his life the way he wanted to.

Could he even offer words of encouragement to her without sounding like a hypocrite? Hopelessness was a terrible thing. Even if he _knew _what he wanted, he doubted that he would have the capability to pull it off. So what could he possibly say to her that would help her?

As he was cycling through memories, several popped into his mind; images of meeting Erza at the Tower of Heaven. Seeing how naïve and hopeful she was in a situation that she damn well _shouldn't_. Even now, she hardly seemed to have changed, only instead of having survival on her mind, she was still filled with delusions from her time at Fairy Tail. How stupid. How asinine. How... envious he was of her.

Shura blinked as he recalled what that empty feeling he had whenever thinking of Fairy Tail. Their bonds... it was what strengthened them. It was what they fought for. Their friends were what gave them power to fight. Such a stupid concept. In the real world, with cutthroat criminals, monsters in human form and egotistical and sadistic gods, such a concept lead a person to die quickly. It made no sense, and was the thought of weaklings.

So... why was he so _jealous _of what they had?

The answer came to him immediately. He fought all throughout his life as a loner. Even during Skyrim, when he had Tamaria and later Miosotis and Serana come with him, he always had a certain distance he put with them, keeping them away from his heart. He feared that - if he did - he'd lose them. Either to his own actions, or to Nifrit. No, even before Nifrit he was always alone. His father left him, only keeping him around out of duty rather than love. The children in his own village kept away from him, wanting nothing to do with 'The Bloody Child'.

He was always alone. Always crying. Always angry and bitter and lost.

_Why couldn't he have what those Fairy dumbasses had?!_

Oh. Oooh.

He realised, with a small smile as images of his time with Lucy and Layla popped into his mind, that he did have something like that.

"I realise," Shura started, now stroking Miriam's back as the girl looked up at him, "that the cliché method would be to reassure you with the fact that you have your friends in the orphanage, and Lily herself, you won't be satisfied with that." His smile faded away as a thought entered his head. "I can offer a simple solution to your problems: I'll give monthly donations of a hundred jewels to the orphanage, allowing all of you to stand on your own two feet. If you all manage to do that - as well as endure the future hardships - I can give you a grand prize of a million jewels."

Miriam stared up at him, jaw dropped. Amused, Shura lifted a finger to push her jaw back together. "I thought you knew the old saying about flies," he teased.

She spluttered, disbelief written across her face. She then frowned at him. "That's not funny."

"I'm not joking."

"Y-you're serious?" Miriam's frown faded away into shock.

"I am."

""I – I don't get it – how does this benefit you at all?" she asked, sounding confused. "No one's made that kind of donation before to us. Not even the most helpful of people. So why?"

"Because no one else would," Shura replied simply, smiling lightly. "I think I understood what Layla was trying to get into my head. Sitting with you, laying all of this out... eased my mind, in a way." He raised his head in thought. "It also was able to stop my incoming burst of daily insanity, so there's that."

"Wait, what?" Miriam questioned, almost missing the last part. Shura laughed lightly.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it."

**XXX**

"Bye, Raizen-nii!" all of the children yelled as Shura and Layla departed from the orphanage, smiles on their face as they waved at him. "Thank you so much!"

Lily stood at the front, staring at the amount of jewels in front of her on the floor as the children played with it. She had tears pricking her eyes as she sobbed in happiness, falling to her knees as all of the children surrounded her. "Thank you." "Thank you." "Thank you." she kept repeating.

The loudest screams were from Miriam, who waved and yelled loudly as she smiled. "Raizen-nii! Come visit us again, please! I'll miss you!"

Shura didn't say anything, only craning his neck and giving a big smile on his face. The one of the biggest ones he'd given. The children cheered, the action being enough for them.

**XXX**

_(Heartfilia Residence, Magnolia)_

"You were amazing, Shura," Layla noted with a dazzling smile as she stared at the Chaos God Slayer.

Shura rolled his eyes. "All I did was entertain them. It was nothing."

"So, promising to supply them with a monthly allowance to help fund themselves is 'nothing'?" she asked rhetorically, making Shura blush slightly. "Also, I've never seen Liam or Miriam or any of the kids smile as much as they did, despite what I've tried to do with them. You seem to have a way with kids." Her smile turned slightly smaller. "Plus, I can tell that you may have gotten the message I was trying to send to you."

Shura looked at her. "Yeah. About how - even in the darkest situations - there still is hope for a person to become good." He sighed. "Layla, I get the message, but I'm not sure that promise can hold. I've... seen things. Things that could haunt even the toughest of mages. Trying to maintain that 'goodness' that you talk about is... hard."

Layla didn't say anything, only holding his shoulder reassuringly. "I have faith that you'll get it," she simply said, confusing Shura. She didn't say anything else, as she opened the door to allow herself in first. Shura followed afterwards, the two just entering, before they saw a surprised Lucy, standing in front of them.

The two of them froze, Shura's eyes wide like saucers and his mouth slightly agape. In hindsight, he should've expected Lucy to wake up, with the two possibly meeting. He was so caught up with meeting Layla and dealing with the children at the orphanage that he had forgotten. He mentally hissed. It seemed like his trip here had made him _too _relaxed.

"K-Kaa-san," Lucy said, confused. "Who's this?"

"A-Ah, Lucy," Layla greeted, her smile slightly strained. "T-This is a son of my friend, Raizen. He's new here, so I was just showing him around Magnolia."

Lucy frowned. "But don't you usually go to the orphanage around this time?" She squinted her eyes as she stared at 'Raizen'. "Wait, why does this guy have traces of your magic on him?" A suspicious look appeared on her face. "Kaa-san, who is this guy? Really?"

Layla made to lie again, but Shura placed his hand on her shoulder. "Layla, allow me." Looking at Lucy directly, he braced himself. The last time he saw her - and actually saw her, not the fake that Nifrit conjured - her hurt-filled words echoed in his ears, along with her face contorted in pain. He sighed. He could get through this. He had to.

Running a hand through his face, his fake features disappeared, revealing his black hair, dark skin and blood-red eyes. Lucy gasped as her face seemed to be stuck in shock, staring at Shura's true face. He offered a small smile. "Hey, Luce."

It was silent in the house as Shura decided to continue, hoping the girl's shock would allow him to say the words he wanted to say. "So, uh... I know that you're possibly still mad at me, and-" He saw the slap coming, but decided to let himself take the hit. A loud SLAP rang through the air as Layla winced while watching.

Shura's tilted face turned back to its original position as he saw Lucy's furious face. He started to speak again, but was interrupted by another slap across the face. She made to hit him again, but Shura grabbed her wrist this time, halting her slap. "Okay, look. I get that I hurt you, but-"

"Shut up," the blonde hissed. More surprised than cowed, Shura stopped talking. She poked his chest as she continued to speak. "You have the audacity to bring yourself _here, _after what you did to my friends? After what you did to me?"

"I-" Shura made to say, but was interrupted again.

"I had to get counselling from Master, because you hurt me so much!" Lucy yelled, shoving him back. Shura held firm as he continued to stare at his fuming friend. "Natsu's in a coma, Erza is practically traumatised, and Mirajane's still in the infirmary getting treated! The only ones that are normal are me, Gray and Happy! I had to watch as Natsu slipped in and out of consciousness, almost choking on his own blood because of what you did!"

"Lucy-" Shura made to say, but Lucy wasn't listening.

"What? Are you going to give another one of your 'I can't tell you for your own good' speeches?! Or are you going to just up and leave, like you always do!" She sneered at him as she kept on trying to shove him back. "Why is it that whenever I need you, you're always gone?! I put myself through hell for you! I followed every lead I could on you like a dog! It's like you don't even care about what we did for you! Like you forgot us-"

Having enough, Shura grabbed her by the front of her shirt and lifted her up, slamming her against the wall. Layla ran forward, trying to remove him from her daughter. "Shura, let her go!" she yelled, trying futilely to prise his fingers off of her.

Lucy stared in shock and fear as Shura glared at her, his crimson eyes burning like hellfire. "You think you're suffering?" he hissed, his fingers clenching as Lucy winced. "You think you know heartache, pain? The day I was born, I killed my own mother." That stopped Layla cold. Both Heartfilia stared at him as he uttered those words. "I have had to deal with the hatred and fear of both my father, and everyone around me. And, if that wasn't bad enough, all of them _died." _A mad look appeared in his eyes as he glared at the trembling girl in his hands. "Slaughtered by monsters that roam the very depths of hell itself. I was _tortured _by them. Treated like shit-no, even lower than that. I was their lab rat, their weapon to use as they saw fit.

"They robbed me of _everything. _My humanity, mercy, my only chance at family, my _life. _Time after time, I've been treated like a fucking _pawn, _bending to the whims of others and losing more and more of what makes me _me." _His furious orbs of hellfire glowed in intensity. "So don't you _dare _say that you've suffered! You and your friends couldn't even stand a _tenth _of my life! Oh boo-fucking-hoo, your friends almost died! I've been _wishing_ for death for practically my whole life! Yet even that is robbed from me!"

Shura used one hand to punch through the wall next to Lucy's head, making her flinch. "You will _never _know the suffering I went through, all because of that bitch's schemes. I left you because my life is cursed. I destroy everything I ever touch. But you..." His hand caressed her cheek as he stared at her, transfixed. "You are pure. Innocent. That fact both infuriates me, and warms my heart. Because even though that innocence has no place in this world, I at least know that it isn't completely full of darkness and evil."

Dropping her from his hold, he hugged her tightly, making her squeak in shock as she blushed. "W-Wha..."

Shura rested his head into the crook of her neck, breathing in her lemony scent. "Like I said before, I may try to keep you away, Lucy. But I will _always _care for you. You were my first friend, my anchor. I will never, _ever _leave you, even if I say I will. You mean _everything _to me. I'd destroy and burn this entire world, for you."

Lucy had tears prickling her eyes at his words, her heart being at ease at hearing his words. They were obsessive, dark and deep, but they were what she wanted to hear, after so long. She let the tears fall as she hugged him tightly as well. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so, so sorry for doubting you."

"It's alright," Shura whispered, finally happy at having her in his arms again. _For good, this time... _Shura reassured himself. No more running. No more excuses. He wouldn't tell them everything, but he didn't plan to run from them. Never again.

He could feel Layla join in on the hug from behind, and he smiled, his heart finally feeling like it was healing. It was too soon to tell, but he felt a tiny flicker of hope resurface through from his blackened heart.

**XXX**

_(Fairy Tail Guild Hall, Infirmary)_

Natsu laid on the bed in the infirmary, bandages covering his entire torso as he was unconscious. The blood had been cleaned, and the wound had been closed as best as it could. Despite all of this, he wasn't fully healed yet, as his mind was completely blank.

And while his injuries were dealt with externally, _internally, _there was another matter altogether.

Deep within Natsu's subconscious, two seeds sat on a seemingly endless sea of water. The first one was quite simple, with flame like markings surrounding the front. A glowing ball of red light surrounded this kind of seed, seeming to protect it somewhat. This red light gazed - as if it had eyes - towards the second seed.

"**This is troubling,**" a voice rumbled from the light, sounding deep and baritone. The light shifted, seemingly transforming into a large dragon with red scales. There were some noticeable scars on its stomach and neck, with the largest one - which was X-shaped - located around the centre of his body. Its back has numerous black spikes, reaching down from the back to the end of his tail.

Igneel the Fire Dragon King gazed at the blackening seed that appeared next to the one guarding it. The seed looked identical to the one he was guarding, only instead of flame markings, this one had tribal tattoos surrounding it. Guarding this one was a featureless figure with what seemed to be a humanoid appearance. Its body was given shape via the blackening flames that surrounded it.

Igneel narrowed its eyes at the figure. **"You are not welcome, demon. Return to your slumber."**

The figure seemed to give a sort of cackle, even though it had no mouth or voice. "_**You kidding? I'm wide awake, little lizard. Looks like I woke up early just in time for the party." **_He looked at the inky blackness that seemed to coat the seed that he was protruding from. "_**And I owe it all to my own brethren. Although, I didn't know that one of them was running around. Thought he'd be back with the others..."**_

Igneel roared, blasting off a torrent of searing flames. "**I warn you, E.N.D. Interfere with my son's life, and I will finish what I started all those years ago?"**

E.N.D. gave a smirk, even though it couldn't be seen. His features started gaining more shape as his fiery body flickered. "_**Aw, pops. Let's be honest, you wouldn't kill your own son, would you?"**_

**Glad I managed to sneak this chapter in before shit hits the fan. Hope y'all are happy.**

**Like I said, no action this chapter. Just some emotional fluff and shit. Next chapter should have things kick off, but Shura needed some down time, along with some very much needed closure between him and Lucy. No worries, they've reconciled as of now.**

**The last bit I added because I wanted to. E.N.D. is 'awake', and I have a _lot _of plans for him. Another thing Mashima fucked up on. Seriously, if Natsu wasn't declared as E.N.D., literally nothing about the series would change. The only relevance to the lore is the fact that he and Gray have a proverbial bitch fight that didn't even finish. Honest to God, it was so disappointing. So - along with some other shit - E.N.D.'s lore and relevancy will actually be expanded on.**

**Next chapter will pick up when exams are finished, so not for at least a couple of weeks. I may slip in _some _small chapters, but no promises.**

**Shout out to all y'all who f,f,r and r the story. Luv y'all.**

**Read and Review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15:**

Shura watched the prone form of Lucy sleeping in her bed, snoring slightly. The whistling sound from her nose as she slept seemed annoying, but Shura couldn't help but find it endearing. He found it slightly amusing that the hot-tempered blonde he knew could sleep so peacefully. Honestly, she seemed much more cuter as she was now...

_Wow, I am sounding more and more like a creep, _Shura remarked, pinching the bridge of his nose. He sighed to himself. _Great, I can add 'stalker' to my long list of _amazing _attributes. Along with being emo... please, whatever merciful god actually exists in this world, don't let me stay an emo in the near future._

Reaching into his pocket, he brought out a special lacrima that he inspected. Quickly pouring his magic into the lacrima, he inscribed a Thought Projection recording into it, allowing it to explain his sudden disappearance from the Heartfilia residence. As much as he hated to leave without so much as an actual goodbye, he knew that staying too long with the Heartfilias would have detrimental effects on all of them.

No, the best course of action would be to leave straight away, no matter how much Shura wished otherwise. Staring at the sleeping blonde, he bent down, kissing her on the cheek lightly.

"I'll be back soon," he quietly promised, bursting into shadows as he disappeared, missing Lucy's small smile at the contact.

**XXX**

_(Magnolia, Local Bar)_

Cana Alberona dragged the massive barrel of beer and chugged it all down, mentally appreciating the looks of shock, awe and (quite commonly) lust. She was used to all of this, the impressed looks, the cocky braggarts who tried to outdo her, the perverts who kept on trying to get into her pants, everything.

She dropped the barrel to the side, finishing its contents in record time as she burped loudly, her cheeks flushed. "Oi, Barry!" she called out, feeling slightly tipsy. "Gimme another barrel!"

"Sheesh, are all of you Fairy Tail mages so damn crazy?" Barry the bartender muttered, before speaking to Cana. "Yeah, yeah. Just remember to not try and clean out my entire stash again! I'm not going to get friends to haul your ass back home!"

"Yeah, yeah," she waved away, seeing the bartender go. She hummed to herself as she waited, the alcohol helping her settle her thoughts. Usually, she'd be drinking at her guild, but the mood was too sombre there.

It was a surreal experience, seeing what was dubbed 'The Strongest Team in Fairy Tail' to be so... broken. The sight of Mirajane's painful expression as her hands were wrapped in magical medical gauze was surprising. The She-Devil had always appeared so strong and powerful. Her rude and cruel expression had always been a constant that Cana had always seen on her as far as she knew her. So to see her wince in pain, flinch whenever people walked past her, and generally look... not at all like herself was shocking.

Lucy and Gray looked to be the least effected, but she could sometimes hear Lucy cry to herself silently whenever she was trying to hide from her other guild mates. Erza was in the same regard as Mira. As annoying as Erza was, strength and power was what _made _her. Yet, currently, the redhead seemed just as bad as Mira, if not worse. She hadn't been taking any jobs recently, her gait seemed weak whenever she was seen by others in the guild, and she didn't even shout at or command anyone in Fairy Tail at all.

Now, this was something that the others took the time to celebrate initially, but when they saw how unresponsive the redhead was to even the most obvious sight of misbehaviour, they got worried.

Master Makarov had told each of them that Erza was seemingly recovering from her wounds from the Blood-dimmed King. But all of them knew that that was bullshit. As grievous as the wounds were, Erza wasn't the type of person to be put down by something like that. No, she was affected by something much more _deeper. _

However, as bad as Erza was, Natsu was looking like he wasn't going to recover. Porlyusica had done her best to heal the hole in his stomach, but it seemed like it wasn't enough. He was comatose, not even showing signs of response to things that people usually do. It was only the sign of his magic - as pitifully weak as it was - inside of him that showed that he was even alive.

While Cana hadn't interacted with the pink-haired Dragon Slayer as much as she should, she did care for him like she did all guild members. To see him in the state that he was in, that all of them were in...

Through her drunken haze, she clenched her fists hard enough to draw blood. _We're going to make that Blood-dimmed King bastard _pay _for what he did to them! _she swore. _You mess with one of us, you mess with _all _of Fairy Tail!_

Unfortunately, her inner dialogue was interrupted by a loud shout of "Cana-chan!"

The card mage sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She knew that voice.

Turning around, she turned to glare at a group of middle-aged men behind her. The one in the centre who had called her name was tall but lanky, having dirty blonde hair hung loosely across his forehead, and blue eyes that held an abnormal amount of cockiness.

The guy on his right was burly and very muscular, reminding her of Elfman. He had a myriad of scars littering his muscled arms and cheeks, and had a swagger to him that any rookie mage had when they completed a couple of high-ranking jobs. In short, he thought that he was hot shit.

The last guy to the left was short but lean. He seemed to be the shy-guy of the group, yet seemed to share the arrogance of the other two men.

Cana scowled. "What the hell do you want Jason? I told you the last time to leave me alone."

The muscular guy next to Jason nudged him. "Oi, Jason. Think she ain't happy to see you."

Jason scoffed. "Bullshit, Mitch. Ladies swoon whenever they're in my presence." Winking to another girl at the side who blushed, he turned to look at Cana, leering at her normal attire of a blue bra and brown capri shorts. "So, wanna come to my place tonight? I'll make it worth your while."

"Like the two hundred times that I've rejected you the last time, the answer is the same," Cana scoffed, grabbing another barrel. "Hell no."

The short guy guffawed at Jason's reddening face. "Man, when are you gonna learn?! She's been rejecting your ass so badly, even the bartender is pitying you! Why don't you let a _real _man show you how it's done?" He winked at Cana, who rolled her eyes in disgust.

Jason growled as he whirled towards the short guy. "Shut it, Saki! Who'd wanna go with a little shit like you?!" He was about to say more when he was bumped from behind by another person from behind.

"Sorry," the male who bumped him apologised, having white hair and stunning purple eyes. His skin was a pale white that caught the light of the lacrima above. He went to sit down, but Jason caught hold of his shoulder, halting him.

"Oi, who the hell do you think you are, bumping into me like that?!" he roared, infuriated at what had occurred.

The white-haired male turned to look at Jason, and the blonde had to withhold a shiver at his glare. He could've sworn that his eyes narrowed into deadly slits. "I bumped into you. I apologised. Does common courtesy not apply to you, or are you too stupid to register it?"

"You think you're hot shit, huh?!" Roaring, Jason launched a fist at the man, who promptly caught it. Then - in a manner as simple as breathing - he crushed his hand, making bone crack. Jason cried out as the man raised an eyebrow.

Like a viper, the white-haired man reached out and grabbed the back of Jason's head, slamming it down onto the table and denting it. This caused attention to be all over the two as Jason slumped to the ground unconscious.

Looking towards Jason's friends who were gawking at the scene that had just occurred, they paled at having his eyes upon them. They quickly scampered away, leaving their friend unconscious on the floor.

Scoffing, he turned to the bartender. "Gimme your strongest batch. Also, I think you have some trash to clean up."

Chuckling, Barry gestured towards one of his hired staff to pick Jason up and bring him home. "This one's on the house. That little shit has been causing trouble whenever he and his goons show up."

"Appreciate it," the white-haired male nodded, Barry heading into the back. After a moment, he smirked. "Am I _that _irresistible, or is that just me?"

Cana raised an eyebrow at having been noticed. "Dunno. You tell me." She moved to the stool beside him, bringing her barrel along with her. He raised an eyebrow. "That's an awfully large barrel for a girl your size. You sure you can handle that?"

Snorting, she raised the entire barrel to her mouth and downed its contents with ease, getting an impressed look. Sighing happily, she wiped her mouth. "Please. This is nothing to me."

"Must be a talent you have there," he noted, picking up his glass that was dropped in front of him. He quickly drank it, not stopping to take a breath. He finished by placing the cup on the table. "That, or you must have a liver made of iron."

Cana laughed. "Aw, you're making me blush!"

"I was always taught that women appreciated a little honesty." A sigh escaped his lips as he stared at the empty contents of his cup.

"What's wrong?" Cana asked, confused.

"It's just... I'm used to much stronger stuff. Sweeter, too. Though, I don't think I should advertise that kind of information."

"You must be from someplace far from here," Cana commented. "This place is arguably the best bar in Magnolia. Though I wouldn't say no to a new kind of drink."

The white-haired man laughed. "Trust me, the stuff I'm used to makes all of this taste like piss."

"You're joking."

"Try me."

It just occurred to them that their faces were inches away from each other. Cana found herself suddenly lost in his hypnotic violet gaze, while he was liking what he saw up-close.

"You know, if you wanted to stare down at my chest, a close-up wasn't really needed," Cana called himself out on his staring. She didn't sound offended, though.

"True, but I wanted to sample the goods properly before I started flirting first."

An eyebrow raised. "And what we did wasn't flirting?"

"That?" He laughed. "No, that was a challenge. When I start flirting, you'll know."

"Aw, how cute," Cana teased as she smirked. "Will I be putty in your hands and swoon at your overall appearance whenever I see you?"

The white-haired male smirked. "Something like that. But let's save the flirting for later, and move onto the challenge.

**XXX**

_I have no idea why I'm doing this, _Shura thought to himself as he conversed with the brunette under the guise of his Transformation Magic. Truthfully, he had to wonder as to why he was even chatting with her. What he _should _be doing is locating Deliora's whereabouts and kill the damned thing, or going back to Erebus' Pit and plot his next move.

Staying in Magnolia for any longer would cause him to look even more suspicious, and keep eyes on his every movements? Seriously, what possessed him to even come here?

... Discretely eyeing the cleavage of the female beside him, Shura admitted that he _did _like what he saw. He mentally sighed. _I guess one night of fun wouldn't hurt._

"So, you got a name, darling?" Shura asked, putting on his grin.

"Cana," she said, smirking.

"Raizen," he replied, performing a bit of Requip Magic. "Pleasantries aside, I think we need to move onto the challenge." A bottle appeared in his hand, holding his own Nord Mead. "Right here is one cup of my own personal brew that I was talking about. Makes all of the bars that I've tried so far seem like toilets with piss water."

"Bullshit," Cana scoffed.

Shrugging, Shura passed the flask to her. "Try it."

Staring at both him and the flask skeptically, Cana raised it to her lips and gave it one full gulp. Immediately, she almost choked in surprise, spluttering and spitting some of it out. She stared at it in shock. "What the hell?"

The bartender - who chuckled at her reaction - looked towards Shura. "Kid, you must have some miracle juice there. Cana's never once shown any surprise to any of my own beverages. What the hell is in that drink?"

Shura shrugged. "I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you."

"... Stingy bastard," he muttered, moving away to clean more cups as Shura chuckled.

"Just like my own drink. Don't want other greedy customers crawling over me." He turned to Cana, who still looked shocked. "Still surprised?"

"T-This stuff is sweet," Cana hiccuped, her previously rosy cheeks lighting up. "S-Strong, too."

Shura laughed. "Are you tipsy already? Guess all that talent ain't worth shit, huh?"

"S-Shut up!" she hiccuped again, her eyebrow twitching. "Just caught me by surprise."

"Sure," he replied sarcastically. "So, here's the challenge: a drinking contest, me and you. Using my own personal mead. If I win, I pay for all of your tabs, both here and elsewhere."

"How do you *hiccup* know I have tabs?" Cana questioned, a glare locked onto him. However, the image was ruined by her woozy look.

Shura raised an eyebrow. "You saying you don't?" Her silence was all he needed, making him smirk. "Thought so."

"And what do you get if you win?" Cana questioned him, looking at him warily.

Shrugging his shoulders, the God Slayer replied, "Merely the fact that _when _I win, me becoming the champion of the bar will suffice."

"Cocky little shit, aren't you?" she huffed, glaring at him.

Smiling, Shura simply replied with, "I just know that I'm superior, is all."

Snarling, she rose up and grabbed the flask from him, gulping more of the liquid. She slammed it on the ground, swaying slightly as she pointed her finger at him. "Bring it on! I'll show you why I'm called 'Cana the Great'!"

"... What the hell kind of name is 'Cana the Great'?"

"Shut it!"

**XXX**

"And we have a winner!" Barry announced, seeing Cana finally slump on the counter. She would've collapsed onto the floor had Shura not caught her just in time, burping slightly.

"Damn, this girl must have her internal organs replaced with booze," he muttered, carrying her bridal-style as he placed his many flasks back into his personal Requip space. She was good, he'd admit that. But he held the advantage due to his immortality, experience and stronger body.

Still, he was impressed. She managed to get to her tenth bottle (albeit sluggishly) before passing out mid-drink on the eleventh.

"Damn," one guy muttered from the newly formed crowd watching the match. "He defeated Cana in a drinking contest! And so easily!"

"Remind me not to duke it out with that guy," another muttered.

Shura then turned to Barry. "You have any idea where she lives?"

"In that fancy form, Fairy Hills," he replied. "Near Fairy Tail."

He sighed. "Just my luck."

**XXX**

Shura sighed in relief as he finally managed to appear into the shadows, right into a room that definitely looked like Cana's own. If the empty beer bottles were any indication.

While he would forever deny accepting his Curse powers and wasn't proud of using them at all, he did have to admit that it had many, many uses. Sneaking into places being one of them.

_Best thing is that I can't be detected, since it's not magic I'm using, _he thought to himself, carrying Cana and laying her on her admittedly neat bed.

"I should probably get her into something comfortable..." He trailed off as he stared at her sexy body on display. "Actually, never mind." He was about to turn away and disappear when a hand caught his wrist, surprising him. He was about to summon the surrounding shadows in mere seconds when he realised who the hand belonged to.

"L-Leaving... so *hiccup* soon?" Cana asked, looking at him with a slurred expression.

He raised an eyebrow. "Didn't think you were ever going to wake up."

"That stuff of yours is super strong," she groaned, rubbing her forehead. "I'm going to have to get more of that when I see you again."

"So eager for me to beat you again?" he teased as he looked down at her. "Are my drinks the only thing you're going to miss about me?"

"Maybe. Why, what are you going to do about it?" Cana teased, her hand raising up and her finger trailing down his jawline.

Shura hesitated in going any further. He should leave and continue his search. He should focus on the tasks at hand. He shouldn't get distracted anymore.

_But you haven't had any sex in _ages_! _a part of his brain complained. That part was speaking a lot of sense.

"You sure you want this to go any further?" he suddenly asked, looking deep into her brown eyes. "I don't want to take advantage of a drunk woman."

Cana scoffed. "Oh, please. I'm almost always drunk, anyways. I know how to stay lucid in between my moments. Besides..." Here, she smirked seductively. "You really planning to say no to all of this?" A hand trailed down her voluptuous body, from her huge breasts, to her slim but toned stomach, her luscious thighs...

_... Fuck it, _he thought to himself, before leaning forward and roughly kissing the brunette.

***LEMON WARNING***

Shura grabbed her by her waist and carried her in his arms, tightening as the two swapped spit quickly. Shura could taste and smell the lingering remains of the alcohol on her body. It wasn't an addictive taste, but definitely an exotic one. Mixed with her own natural scent, and it made him go crazy.

Shura disengaged as he pinned her down, staring at her sexy body hungrily. "Look at you; flaunting a body like this." With a quick yank, he tore away her bra, making Cana gasp slightly in both shock and excitement. He licked his lips as he gazed her enormous tanned globes, slowly sinking his fingers into them as she moaned at the contact.

"So firm..." he muttered, leaning down and quickly capturing one of her nipples in his mouth. Cana squealed slightly as he sucked eagerly on the nipple, licking the nub as he toyed mercilessly with the other tit.

"Oh, yes, baby," she groaned, grabbing the back of his head and pushing him further into her breasts, making him act even more wildly. Pulling back, he he released her nipple with a wet and loud POP!, before moving to the other one, biting onto it lightly.

"N-No more foreplay," Cana groaned out, trying to push him back. "I want it now."

Surprisingly, Shura glared at Cana, his 'purple' eyes almost flashing crimson. "Oh, no. I'm thoroughly enjoying all of this body until I've gotten _this-" _He gestured to his covered crotch, showcasing a very large bulge "-down."

Without another word from her, Shura went lower, pulling her shorts off of her body and quickly removing her lace panties with his teeth, immediately getting excited at the scent of her arousal.

"Fine, then. Have a taste," Cana decided, spreading her legs and exposing her pink pussy to him. Shura grabbed her legs and held them high as he gazed upon his prize hungrily. Already, her pussy was leaking profusely, almost weeping in anguish at not having any release yet.

"You poor thing," he teased. "All worked up for me? You shouldn't have."

Cana glared teasingly at him. "Don't get so cock- ah-A-AAH!" She quickly cried out with pleasure as Shura darted forward, dragging his tongue along her entrance. Immediately, he was enjoying the taste of her juices on his tongue, and continued to play her like an instrument as his tongue snaked across her cavern, eager for more of her juices.

"S' 'weet," he commented, his words muffled as he continued lapping up her juices. His finger rose as he continued to play with her swollen clit. Cana's moans rose in pitch as Shura continuously ate her out.

"T-This from... e-experience, or talent?" she asked through her moans, grinning madly as pleasure rocked through her body.

"Bit of both," he managed to answer, before he continued, attacking sensitive areas inside of her that she didn't even know existed. Shura then started to use his fingers to tease her clit, sending wave after wave of pleasure through the card mage's body. He could tell that Cana was very close when he could hear her loud moans and her heavy and drawn out breaths.

"S-So close! Keep g-going!" she yelled out, shaking. Smirking, Shura grabbed her hips as he continued to go deeper, his tongue hitting several sensitive spots at once. He managed to keep on playing with this particular one that had Cana screaming like a banshee. After a few more moments...

"I'M CUMMING!" she bellowed out, shaking violently as she came furiously. Shura tried lapping up all of her cum, with most of it dribbling onto his chin as he kept on slurping it all up. After a few more moments, she laid on the bed, panting harshly. Shura rose up, looking down at her with a predatory gaze.

The card mage panted, seeing stars at the end of her vision. "Oh, dear Mavis. T-That was amazing."

"Cana, the night just begun," he commented with a smug smile, removing his trousers and boxers, allowing his newly revealed 11-inch cock to spring out. With some struggle, Cana managed to rise up slightly and bear witness to the girthy, meaty monster between his legs. She gaped at his twitching dick, leaking slight trails of pre-cum.

"Shocked stupid, and I haven't even fucked you yet," he commented smugly, walking towards her with a superior gait. His dick seemed to angrily glare at her as it reddened, a one-eyed python looking to claim its prize. "Though, if you want that to happen, you're going to have to work for it."

Smirking, Cana tried to gain some of her cockiness back into her voice. "Sure thing, big boy. But you better make it worth the wait." Getting to her legs shakingly, she got onto all fours and crawled sexily to the horny God Slayer, her tits bobbing back and forth. She grabbed his cock with her soft hands, stroking it slightly.

Smirking up at him, she taunted, "Don't worry. This is going to be way better than using your hand." Before Shura could put up a retort, she took the tip of his dick into her mouth, seemingly sucking like a pro as her mouth seemed to become a vacuum. Shura grunted, making Cana continue earnestly while licking the underside of his dick with her tongue.

Growling with a sudden feral attitude, he grabbed the back of her hair and brought her deeper, making more of his cock vanish into her throat, leaving a good 4-inches left. Staring up at him sultrily, she did her best to continue sucking him off.

Truth be told, Cana wasn't fully enthusiastic about giving blowjobs. Sure, it felt good to please her partner, and she enjoyed the feeling of a big cock filling her mouth and the satisfaction of being able to take it deep in her throat, but it didn't do much for her otherwise. At least, that was her original thought.

Feeling Shura grip her hair tightly and practically shove most of his girthy cock down her throat made her pussy ache tremendously, her juices covering most of the floor by now. He was so rough with her that it was initially surprising at first, but she quickly grew used to it, bobbing her head more frequently than before.

Groaning loudly, Shura slowly removed his cock from her mouth, before pushing her down and straddling her, grabbing her large breasts and mashing them against his shaft. Immediately, he moaned at the soft sensation of Cana's breasts enveloping his cock, her moans along it pushing him even further.

"So... close..." he grunted, shoving more and more of his dick into her mouth and tit flesh. A few more thrusts and Shura roared. "Cumming!" His cock expanding, he released an insane load of semen down her throat, making the card mage gag profusely as she did her best to swallow it all. He sighed as he removed the shaft from her mouth and breasts, staining both with his hot seed.

"That was so good," he moaned, panting slightly. He looked to see his partner coughing and gagging up his cum. "You okay?"

"A little bit of warning would work next time," Cana snapped, glaring at him. "But..." Scooping up some stringy cum from her breasts, she popped the finger into her mouth, sucking on it lewdly. "Not bad. I think I'd prefer it to alcohol."

"Isn't that an ego boost," he commented, enjoying the sight of Cana covered in his cum, from head to tits. So lustful was he, that he immediately grabbed her legs and parted them, placing them onto his shoulders. He lined his dick against her weeping pussy, groaning at the heat from the contact of the two sex organs. Wanting to make things quick, he pushed forward, lodging most of his cock.

"Oh, dear Mavis!" Cana simply exclaimed, eyes almost rolling into the back of her head from the rough action, as well as the pleasure. She immediately moaned, lying on the ground and shaking slightly.

Shura grunted. "How the hell are you this tight? I know you're not a virgin." He could feel Cana's walls coiling around his dick, telling him that she had cum just from him putting it in, as evident by the pool of cum that spurted from her pussy. The fact that she had cum didn't stop him at all, instead it actually gave him even more motivation. Instead of starting slowly he began to move at a steady pace, resulting in lustful moans from Cana.

Instead of answering his question, Cana pleaded, "Slow down... It's too big." She felt herself being ripped apart by Shura's large shaft. Though it was a bit painful, it still was the absolute best feeling she had experienced in her life, better than any of her previous partners. She felt like she could pass out from pleasure at any moment but she knew that Shura would never allow her to do so.

Grinning at her fucked-stupid face, Shura groped her tits roughly, moulding the pliable flesh to his command as he kept on thrusting harshly, Cana's thighs rippling with extreme force as Shura kept on pounding at her. Cana moaned and howled, screaming so loudly that Shura's ears felt like bursting. His left hand went to her rippling ass cheeks, slapping the flesh with even more force to turn it red.

"Harder! Deep-AAAAH! Deeper!" she hollered, a slutty grin on her face as Shura followed her request, squeezing both tit and ass so tightly that it gave the card mage a very painful but pleasurable experience.

"Aren't you a naughty girl? Getting turned on by the pain," the God Slayer commented huskily, spanking her ass roughly again and watching the flesh ripple, turning a cherry red.

"N-No - AAAAH! YES, YES, YES! FASTER!" Cana yelled, quickly changing her tune as Shura placed her in a doggy-style position, drilling into her with tremendous force. Cana fell onto her breasts, the flesh squishing against the force as she was nothing towards the unrelenting force that was the half-Etherious. Eyes widening further, Cana screeched as she came, coating Shura's cock with her juices as he continued thrusting, not close to cumming yet.

"W-Wait! Raizen, I-I just - ah! - came!" she yelped as Shura kept on thrusting into her.

He chuckled menacingly, making shivers run down her spine. "That's good. But for me? I'm just getting started." Grabbing her meaty thighs, Shura started to thrust into Cana with even more vigour, making the card mage plant her face onto the floor as he kept on thrusting savagely, causing her to screech like a banshee.

"T-Too m-much," she wheezed, the rough treatment causing her to leak more juices as she almost slumped into unconsciousness. Gripping her neck, Shura raised her upper body up, kissing her roughly and taking her breath away. He kept on thrusting harshly, feeling the strong stirring in his balls to occur.

"I'm... cumming," he growled out roughly, eventually released load after load of cum deep in her pussy, filling her womb to the brim. He grunted as he thrusted, eventually ending his seemingly endless rutting. He pulled out, firing more ropes of cum onto Cana's twitching and unconscious form.

"Whoo..." he panted, falling onto his ass and seeing his dick finally go down. "Damn, that was a good stress reliever." He looked to Cana's unconscious and cum-covered form, wincing a little. "Maybe _too _good of a stress reliever..." Shura sighed as he picked Cana up and placed her on her bed, letting her rest.

**XXX**

_(Fairy Hills, Cana's Dorm, Next Morning)_

_Urgghhh..._ Cana groaned mentally, feeling her brain start to wake itself up as she struggled to remember what had happened last night.

_Did I drink myself stupid again? _she questioned, about to lift her hand to hold her head, only for her to frown at feeling some sort of liquid there. Matter of fact, she felt it all over her face. And on her body as well.

"Damn, was I so wasted that I got it all... over..." Cana slowed her speech once she looked her her hand, seeing it covered with dried cum. Suddenly, her thoughts came back to her. _Oh. _Suddenly, her brain rebooted. _Oooh._

She moaned as she tried to rise up, feeling her lower half aching in pain and pleasure at the rough sex she had last night. Though, she did manage a grin.

"Best. Night. Ever," she sighed, completely feeling like she was high. Not high as in drunk, but 'fucked-stupid-and-silly' high. Raizen outclassed all of her former partners by a wide margin. A very, _very _wide margin.

"Glad I managed to impress you."

Cana squealed in surprise, turning her head to see Shura seemingly appearing in front of her bed and holding a plate of eggs, bacon, toast and a drink in his hands.

"Dammit, don't do that!" she snapped, groaning as she laid back down on her bed.

He kept on smirking. "Well, I've been told that I'm somewhat of a ninja." His smirk grew. "Guess I'm living up to the name."

"Shut up," she grunted, getting him to laugh. She peeked through her closed eyes. "Surprised you didn't leave overnight."

Shura frowned, and Cana found herself feeling bad for saying that. Many of her previous sex partners had left right after, going home immediately to brag to their friends about fucking her. Raizen was the only guy she'd encountered that actually stayed. Hell, he even made her breakfast!

"I..." He sighed. "I'm more of a... an emotional person, let's say. I've no problem being friends with benefits, but I'm usually... what's the word, a softie in some cases. Mainly due to the sex."

_Although my daily life is a different story, _he cynically thought.

Cana sighed. "Thanks, I guess. But you didn't have to cook for me. You must be hungry yourself."

"I already ate," he replied. He then smirked slyly. "Though, if you don't want the food, I _do _have some space left in my stom-"

"No, no, no! I'll eat!" she quickly rebutted, making him chuckle. Taking the drink first, she gulped it down. She blinked in surprise. "Huh. What kind of drink is this?"

"A healing drought," Shura replied. "Well, it's more of a hangover potion, really. I made it initially for myself after my first few drinks, but my tolerance of alcohol grew to the point that I didn't need it. Hell, I practically don't get hangovers at this point."

"Lucky bastard," Cana mumbled, before gulping the rest of her drink down. "Oh, Mavis, that's so good." She quickly looked at her food and scarfed it all down. As she ate, she looked at Shura, who seemed to be have a look of concentration.

"What is it?" she asked, once she finished eating.

"I'll have to start travelling again soon," he explained. "I've been delayed for too long."

Cana frowned, pushing down the rising sense of disappointment. "Oh."

Seeing her struggling not to look sad, Shura frowned. Logically, he shouldn't be in contact with her. Sex was fine, but eventual emotional attachment was bad for him. Lucy and Layla were one thing, but he didn't want anyone else entering his life of endless violence and godly manipulations.

However... his heart simply ached at the thought of severing his ties. Shura mentally berated himself. He shouldn't have come to Magnolia at all. He was loosing his edge, making him more softer. He didn't need softness, or friendship. He needed power, and vengeance. That was all that sustained him.

Another mental image of the Heartfilias, and he sighed. Knowing that what he said was complete bullshit.

"We can, however, meet up at the bar," he compromised, getting the card mage to listen to him. "I wouldn't mind having another drink with you."

"As long as you bring more of that miracle juice," Cana agreed, smirking.

"Which one? The one at the pub or the one I gave you last night?" he responded, chuckling at her red face.

"Please, you weren't _that _good," Cana scoffed, though by her tingling legs and aching pussy, she knew that that was a blatant lie.

"Really?" Shura raised an eyebrow. He grabbed her by her waist and dragged her towards him. "Guess I gotta step it up then."

"W-Wait! I need to get to my guild!" Cana weakly responded, instantly moaning as Shura brought down his pants and shoved his hardened cock inside of her pussy again, making her putty in his hands.

"Then call in late," he replied, kissing her as he started to fuck her roughly, her squeals and moans filling the room as he did.

**XXX**

_(Erebus' Pit)_

"So, Deliora is stashed at Galuna Island?" Shura questioned Ultear, who was standing beside his throne as he sat in it.

"Yes," the time mage answered. "Apparently, it's a cursed island not too far from Hargeon Port. It's also said that the island is cursed, causing the inhabitants to transform into demons."

Shura had a small, almost unnoticeable twitch at the last word. Demons? Could they be... Shura shook his head. No, it couldn't be the Etherious. He was just being paranoid. The Etherious weren't the only demons out there. "I see. And you have history with the island?"

Seeing her go wide-eyed, he rolled his eyes. "I could sense that there was more than just your usual tone when talking about the island. You seem to have some sort of connection to the island." He paused, looking at her calm facade. "No, not the island. It's Deliora, isn't it? The demon took something - no, some_one _from you."

"That's _none _of your business," Ultear growled. Shura raised a hand and she flinched, thinking he was going to activate the Blood Rune on her neck. She closed her eyes, awaiting the oncoming pain... only for nothing to happen. She opened her eyes, confused, only to see Shura brushing off some food crumbles from his cloak that came from his recent meal.

"That's fine," he replied. "You don't have to tell me. But I know that your history with Deliora isn't the only reason why you have dealings with this issue." Beads of sweat fell from her head as Shura glared at her. "Now, I know that you'll tell me anything that would either inhibit me or is of the utmost importance with your dealings, right?"

"Y-Yes, my lord," she quickly bowed.

"Shura," he instantly replied, making her look at him, confused. "That's my name. Or call me Master. 'My lord' isn't really necessary."

"You'd trust me with your identity?" Ultear questioned.

"Would you be planning to tell anybody about this?" At her silence, he nodded. "Then there's no issue. Come." He stood up and headed towards his office, Ultear following him as he did so. As they entered, Shura headed towards the Eye of Hermaeus Mora, placing his hand on it.

Immediately, an image of black mist started to protrude from the Eye, slowly forming what looked to be a miniature view of a remote island, with what looked like a tribal people flocking around, going into their huts or sharpening weapons. Shura raised an eyebrow, noting the normal appearance all of them had. "You sure that these are supposed to be demons?"

"Positive," Ultear nodded. "From my reports, they seemed to only turn into their demonic forms when the moon - which is purple, from their view - becomes full."

"Interesting," he commented, making the image expand and see the general location of the island from Hargeon Port, ignoring the large mass of water. He dismissed the image, turning to Ultear with a hand raised. "Let's go."

Hesitating, Ultear took his hand. Immediately, the two burst into shadows, disappearing.

**XXX**

_(Galuna Island, Fiorean Ocean)_

The cursed island lay in the middle of nowhere, battered by the relentless waves of the ocean. Many years of being hit by waves from one end, the one circular shaped island had been forced into the shape of a crescent moon if one took a bird's eye view of the island. Galuna Island was completely engulfed in forest, save for the single village where the inhabitants were said to have succumbed to the island's 'curse', their physiology changing into that of a demon's.

The God Slayer and time mage wandered through the jungles, before coming across the village a few minutes after arriving at the cursed island's location. It was now night time, and Shura stepped towards the wooden gates that guarded the village. He raised an eyebrow at the 'KEEP OUT' sign on the gate. He stepped forward, simply knocking on the gate.

While he could simply appear inside the village and locate Deliora from there, he decided to observe these so-called 'demons'. Truth be told, his only demonic encounter was with Tartaros, and... that wasn't an experience he wanted to remember. That made him think; were all demons so bad, so evil? Logic told him that yes, that was true.

Demons - by their very nature - were cruel, sadistic, twisted and evil. They tormented humanity for ages, taunting and twisting them to their desire for their evil purposes. So yes, demons were evil. Or were they?

He himself was a half-demon. Did that make him evil? Sadistic? Cruel? Did race judge the kind of person he was supposed to be. However, he wasn't born this way. He was proof of the evil of demons.

However, the same could be said for humans and gods. Both experienced the same emotions, and had the same capacity of evil as demons. His experiences had made that information stick to him.

So - if that were the case - was his revenge on Nifrit and Tartaros pointless, as all of them had the same capacity of evil as humans. Did that mean that it was meaningless, because it was the way of the world? Nature's pecking order of strongest to weakest?

"Who's there?!" a man shouted, snapping Shura out of his thoughts. He pushed his contemplation away to focus on the task at hand. Looking up, Shura saw two men looking down at him and Ultear.

"Who we are is none of your concern," Shura commented, narrowing his eyes. "We are merely here to investigate the cause of your demonic epidemic and - by extension - cure it."

The two men gaped as they gazed down at him. "W-We apologize for our rudeness," the same man commented. "Judging from your ability to get here, I presume you are all mages?" Shura nodded. "Are you from a legal guild? We need to prove that you're the real deal."

"And how do you want us to do that?" Shura questioned, raising an eyebrow.

The other guard narrowed his eyes, before focusing on Ultear. "Strip her."

"What?!" she exclaimed, shocked and furious. Immediately, a teal orb shot forward, narrowly missing the guard's head as he ducked.

"What kind of stupid proof is that?!" she roared, furious. She glared at the staring Shura. "Don't even think about it."

He rolled his eyes. "Not like there'd be much to look at," he mocked, getting her to become even more pissed. He looked towards the remaining guard. "Get the gate open now, before she smashes it down."

"R-Right! I-I'll get the mayor!" Moving at high speeds, he got down. After a few minutes of Ultear struggling to regain her temper, the gate started to rise.

The two mages went in, looking upon the mayor and the entirety of the villagers.

"Greetings, mages," the mayor greeted. "I am Moka, mayor of this village. Are you both from a legal guild?"

"No," Shura answered curtly. The villagers immediately went into an uproar as they started yelling about having no need to pay them and them being dark mages and whatnot, but a burst of magical pressure from Shura silenced them.

"I don't care about your epidemic at all. I have my own reasons for coming to this island, but know that it isn't to help you. Give me what I want, and I'll leave you alone," the Chaos God Slayer bargained.

Ultear rolled her eyes. "Subtlety is definitely something you're not proficient in." She stepped forward before he could say anything. "My partner speaks the truth, but if you are willing to help us, we'll be able to hep you with your changes."

"Thank you!" Moka exclaimed, suddenly so joyful. He got on his knees in thanks. "Thank you so much! About the situation; the island of Galuna is inflicted by a curse that is causing our bodies to change into that of demons. The effects are only appearing at night and by day, the curse's effects wear off, but in some people, the effects become permanent and they are unable to revert back to normal during the day time and thus in order to keep them from harming the other villagers due to the insanity they are given, we are forced to kill them."

"I see," she nodded. "Is there anything of significance that relates to the fact that the moon is now purple?" She pointed at the night sky. Indeed, the once silvery moon had become a deep violet. Moka nodded.

"Yes, the moon had turned purple a few years ago, that was when the curse began," he said. The villagers then removed the robes that they wore and revealed to the two their ailment. Ultear's face remained passive while Shura raised an eyebrow. They saw the villagers with clawed hands and feet, some bearing horns on their heads, others with extended canines and enlarged jaws. Certain parts of their bodies were now covered with scaled skin with black spots.

"The moon's light would shine on our village and the magical power of the purple moon would change our bodies into their demonic forms," The elderly man said as his form suddenly changed into that of a purple-skinned demon with black dots as he stepped out of the darkness and into the light of the lavender moon.

"And since the moon is the cause..." Ultear commented, with Moka nodding.

"Yes. The only way to stop this epidemic... is to destroy the moon," he stated with a serious expression. Now both Shura's and Ultear's eyes widened at his words.

"A-Are you sure?" Ultear questioned, questioning the sanity of the old man.

"Yes," he answered with the utmost seriousness.

Shura snorted. "So not only are they passive, they're also stupid." He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Look, is there anything of importance beyond this village?"

Moka blinked. "Ah, yes. There's our sacred temple up ahead. But what does that have to do with destroying the moon?"

"Does that temple hold any significance to your people or to the island?" Shura asked, ignoring his question. Moka shook his head.

"Not really. It's most likely from the civilization that lived here before us, during the early times of Earthland."

"Very well." He looked towards Ultear. "Let's go." She nodded, following the God Slayer to the temple. As they sped through the forests of Galuna Island, he came to a stop, Ultear doing the same.

"What is it?" she asked. Shura frowned, using the darkness to sense what was coming. It seemed to be some sort of large animal heading towards them.

"Something's coming," he answered, making Ultear be on guard. He himself gathered his magic power as he waited for the creature to reveal itself. The sound of stomping met their ears and the duo turned to see the trees beginning to rustle. Birds flew out from their perches as a large shadow towered over the trees. They all looked to the skies as the moon shadowed the image of what seemed to be a giant mouse.

Shura blinked. "Is that a giant mouse... wearing a maid's outfit?"

The giant mouse had light blue fur and was actually wearing a black and pink maid outfit. A frilly pink apron was worn around its waist and a white bonnet was atop its head. The mouse's yellow eyes stared down at them before it snapped it jaws, releasing loud, yet somehow terrifying squeaks at them.

"Yeah... no," he responded, immediately summoning a blade of darkness from behind and bisecting the rodent into two. Blood splattered everywhere as the mouse's organs and intestines were severed into halves, its life immediately leaving its eyes as its ridiculous maid outfit was stained and destroyed. It landed in a heap, staining the grass before them.

Ultear looked at him, not bothered by the display of violence. "Did you have to kill it?"

"No. But I did anyways." Shura raised an eyebrow. "Did you know that rat?"

"I know its owner," Ultear corrected. She winced as she stared at the two bloody halves. "Although, she's not going to like this."

"Is she a threat?" Shura questioned.

"To us, no."

"Then her anger is none of my concern," he dismissed. He kept on walking, making Ultear narrow her eyes.

"You seem to enjoy leaving a bloody trail behind you," she commented. "At least, from what I've seen."

"How do you think I earned the name 'Blood-dimmed King'?" he asked rhetorically without stopping.

**XXX**

_(Galuna Temple)_

"Huh?" A female voice spoke in a confused tone. The owner of the voice was a rather curvaceous woman who had blue eyes, long pink hair which was tied into two pigtails and large breasts. A choker was worn around her neck and a purple and pink spaghetti strap dress in addition to a pair of black leggings and high heeled sandals completed the outfit. A pair of large white strips, similar to that of wings came from the back of the girl's outfit.

"Is something wrong, Sherry?" A short male asked. The male was named Yuka Suzuki. Yuka was a very petite man with dark coloured eyes and dark blue hair that seemed to defy gravity. He wore a green one tail coat with a white strip going down the middle of the coat and a pair of brown boots. His most noticeable feature however, were his large eyebrows.

"Someone...managed to defeat my lovely Angelica!" Sherry screamed as she clutched the sides of her head in fright.

"WHAAAAAT?!" The voice of one Toby echoed throughout the ruins of the restored temple. Toby was a tall, lean young man who had decorated his face to look similar to that of a dog's. He had tanned skin which had lean muscle beneath it. A pair of dog-like ears grew out of the mop of dark brown hair, his dark eyes were extremely circular and the lower part of his face was similar to that of a dog's muzzle, down to the small black nose. He wore no shirt, but wore a pair of dark blue, baggy pants and dark brown - bordering on black - boots.

"We have visitors it seems," another voice said.

"Lyon-sama, what should we do?" Sherry asked the owner of the fourth voice, now identified as Lyon

Lyon was a young man with spiky silvery-blue hair and dark coloured eyes. He wore a dark blue shirt with a yellow stripe going down the middle of it, dark coloured pants which were tucked into a pair of silver, armoured greaves. The outfit was completed with a large white cape which had a wide collar and gold trimming. A silver helmet was worn over the upper half of his skull leaving only his mouth and nose visible.

"Well given that our guests might be arriving soon, they will no doubt discover the temple," he replied. "Sherry, I suggest you, Toby and Yuka go and greet them." The other three members of Team Lyon nodded and headed out to meet their guests.

Lyon frowned. _Where is Zalty? _he thought to himself. _He should've been here by now. Could he have been compromised?_

"It doesn't matter," he eventually decided. "I shall go and prepare the Moon Drip Ritual." He grinned darkly. "It's only a matter of time until you meet the inevitable, Deliora."

**XXX**

_(Outside the Galuna Temple)_

Shura and Ultear stopped a few meters outside the large entrance to the Galuna Temple, its dark caverns seeming as if it were awaiting their arrival.

Studying the temple, Shura stepped forward, only to frown as he stared at the cracked earth outside the aged temple, before a large earthen fist burst out of the ground. He immediately jumped back to avoid the strike before landing. Another fist escaped its earthen confines before the hands found their grip. The earth groaned and cracked and with a mighty roar, the owner of those hands burst forth.

A large golem burst out of the ground, its hollow eyes staring at the intruders. Shura sighed. "We don't have time for this," he muttered.

"Hah! Seems as though you people don't know where you all are," Sherry spoke as she walked out of the entrance of the temple. Yuka and Toby flanked the pink-haired girl.

Ignoring them completely, he turned towards Ultear. "Are these the fools who you told me you knew?"

"HEY! DON'T IGNORE US!" Toby shouted, infuriated. Shura continued to ignore them, looking to the raven-haired woman.

She sighed. "Unfortunately, yes."

"You will not be allowed to enter the temple and stop the Moon Drip!" Yuka snapped as he glared at them. Ignoring them again, the Chaos God Slayer turned to Ultear for an explanation.

"Moon Drip is the process of channelling the magic power of the purple moon to undo the act of any magic. The properties of the moon's magical power border on that of a god's. It can undo any spell... even the famous Iced Shell," she explained.

"HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT?!" Toby exclaimed, his face being comically angry.

"I see," he nodded. "Then there's no further use for them."

"OI! WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TO THREAT-" Toby didn't get the chance to complain as a sword of shadow erupted from behind him and bisected him into two.

"TOBY!" Yuka yelled in shock while Sherry gasped in horror, seeing their comrade get sliced into two bloody chunks. His remains fell to the ground in a similar manner to that of Angelica. Yuka glared at the Blood-dimmed King. "You bastard!" Raising his palm, he shot several odd-looking bullets of magic at the two.

Crossing his arms, Shura simply commanded a wall of blood to block the attack, only to frown at seeing his blood wall dispersing and the bullets aimed directly at him. Narrowly, he craned his neck to dodge the attack, humming.

"My Wave Magic is the perfect counter against mages like you!" Yuka roared, forming a Wave Shield that covered both him and Sherry. "Now I'll make you pay for what you did to-"

"Black Vortex," Shura muttered simply, Yuka's body irresistibly drawing itself towards him, his Wave Shield dispersing into the darkness. The God Slayer grabbed him by the neck as he choked the fool.

"Yuka!" Sherry cried out, hands going to her mouth.

"H-How did you-" Yuka struggled to breath, only for his words to fail as he stared at Shura's luminous crimson orbs.

"That was your mistake," he whispered. "Thinking that there ever was a mage like me."

Yuka gasped in agony as he heard his one last sentence, before his body exploded in a shower of red. "Blood-Make: Blood Stitching."

Sherry cried sorrowful tears as blood erupted around Shura, sharpening into sharp needles and puncturing Yuka in several vital points, from lungs to head to his liver. The Chaos God Slayer tossed the corpse away, staring at the frightful pink-haired mage.

"S-Stay back," she whispered as he approached her, falling onto her ass as tears fell down her cheeks, her body shivering in fright. Shura kept on walking.

"I said stay back!" she shrieked, quickly commanding her Golem Doll to attack and hopefully kill this-this _demon. _As soon as the Golem Doll's fist neared Shura, it passed through his darkening body as it turned into shadows. Ultear narrowly dodged the missed attack, cursing at him.

Before she could even process any other thoughts, he appeared before her. She was paralyzed with fear as she shook, every pore of her body sweating profusely.

"P-Please," she begged pathetically, blubbering at her next words. "S-Spare m-me."

Shura gazed down at her, not even a shred of mercy in his eyes. "I'll make this quick."

Before she could understand what she had said, he quickly reached down and grabbed her neck, snapping it in a simple motion. Wide-eyed, Sherry's corpse fell to the ground. Her Golem Doll stilled before it collapsed back into normal rock and earth, having lost its master's control.

Staring at the corpse's prone form, he turned back to Ultear. "Let's go." He went off, his companion shaking her head before following him.

**XXX**

_(Inside the Temple)_

Shura and Ultear entered the temple grounds, walking through the long, dark corridors. As they continued walking, Shura looked towards her.

"Do you know why they're trying to free Deliora?" he asked, seeing her frown. "And don't try to deny it. This mission is too personal for you to be something so simple."

"I thought you weren't going to ask me about it," Ultear reflected, clearly trying to avert the question.

"I wasn't. But I am concerned when your feelings get in the way of the mission."

"My performance will not be affected at all," she heatedly refuted.

Shura nodded for a moment, letting the silence run through the air for a few moments. Finally, he spoke, "You know, I did some digging into your own personal files, so I could know who I'm working with."

The time mage stilled for a moment, before continuing forward. "Did you?"

"Yes. Admittedly, your files were obviously hidden away. Likely the work of Grimoire Heart. And then I realised, the simple truth was right in front of me." He turned to face her. "You look a lot like Ur Milkovich, now that I think about it."

Ultear glared at him, but didn't say anything as they walked.

"I'm confused. Usually, children would be happy or sombre at the fact that they're meeting their parents' remains."

Finally, she exploded. "That _woman _isn't my mother!" she snapped furiously. "She never was, and will never be!"

Shura looked at her, searching for something. Finally, he said, "I suppose that you won't answer when I ask about your situation with her."

"Why do you care?" Ultear hissed at him.

Shura hesitated, unsure of the question, only to pause as their surroundings briefly glowed with a purple light. "The energy coming from here... it's similar to that of the magic power surrounding the island. This must be the cause of the villagers' transformations, the source of what is so very wrong about this island," he theorised, pushing his thoughts for later. He kept on walking, Ultear fuming at being reminded of her deceased mother.

Upon entering the room, they noticed the large space they were in, however they noticed the room was empty and that though the violet rays of moonlight entered the chambers, there seemed to be something else beyond it identified by the fact that the light seemed to be more concentrated at the end of the following corridor. The purple light seemed to be growing brighter as they continued walking, being focused on a particular block of ice, with a particular dark figure trapped in it.

_Deliora..._ Shura growled mentally as he stared at the demon trapped in ice. The creature was large, but it was impossible to tell what the actual colour of it was since the power of the Moon Drip caused the purple moonlight to focus on the frozen creature. It was large, muscular and wore a single loincloth to cover its groin area. A large amount of sharp teeth lined its jaws and sharp claws were on its hands and feet. Long hair fell from its head down to just past its large and broad shoulders. Its eyes, an evil looking violet due to the moonlight, shone within the ice.

Before he could do anything, he noticed Lyon standing in front of the frozen demon, performing the Moon Drip Ritual. Silently, he and Ultear burst into shadows behind him, the ice mage not moving an inch.

"You do know that that demon would be uncontrollable once released, right?" Shura asked rhetorically. Lyon was so startled that the magic energy flickered for a moment, but he regained control of it and steadied the flow of moonlight onto the melting ice.

"What the...Who are you?! Sherry, Toby and Yuka should have stopped you!" Lyon yelled. Shura chuckled darkly.

"You sent three weaklings to take care of me? What did you expect to happen, dumbass?" he questioned.

"You-" Shock and fear ran across his face as he recognised who was in front of him. "You're the Blood-dimmed King!"

"Looks like you are smart after all," Shura chuckled. "Now, I'm going to have to ask you to move."

"You... Why would I-" Lyon's eyes moved to Ultear, and he gasped in shock, his ritual stopping. "Ur?"

A teal orb slammed into him, propelling him deeper into the cave as he collapsed painfully. Ultear's expression turned murderous. "Don't call me by that name! I am that wretched woman!"

Shura sighed at her actions. "Looks like the Moon Drip Ritual failed. No matter, I have another method to unsealing Deliora."

"And what's that?" Ultear asked, panting in anger.

Shura didn't answer her question immediately, instead inspecting the ice. He frowned, sensing the presence of a soul lingering upon it. "Soul Magic: Reaper's Sight!" he casted, his eyes turned a luminous purple. This spell wasn't one he used particularly often, but was very useful in detecting lingering souls upon eyesight. He never needed to use it, as he could use shadows to sense objects or people, but this spell had found its use today.

Ignoring the dark soul of Deliora, Shura focused on the light blue soul that clinged to the ice. Its figure was faint... but it seemed to be forming into a familiar shape. A narrowing of Shura's eyes revealed the answer; it was a woman.

Shura dismissed his Reaper's Sight, looking back at Ultear. "You know this ice is alive, correct?"

She blinked. "W-What?"

"The ice. It has the presence of a soul. If I were to guess correctly, I'd say it's Ur's soul. Meaning that - even without having a physical body - she's alive."

"W-why are you telling me this?" she asked, as her eyes darkened at the mention of her mother's name. "And how do you even know that?"

"The 'how' is one of my many magical abilities," he simply stated. "And the 'why' is simple. I want you to revive your mother."

Ultear froze like a statue, she seemed to be repeatedly going over every single syllable. She instinctively took a step back, "I.. don't... understand.." she uttered, what was he talking about?

Shura gave a humourless smile. "Arc of Time is such an amazing magic," he complimented, still looking at her. "While your use of it from my perspective is quite pathetic, I know a woman of your caliber wouldn't be satisfied with just the initial stages. You'd go deeper, drawing more knowledge of the magic. Until you arrived at one particular spell. A spell so dangerous and potentially overpowered, that you'd never reveal it to anyone you met." He stepped closer to whisper in her ear. "Last Ages."

Ultear would've fallen to the ground in shock if Shura wasn't holding her tightly. "How do you know about Last Ages?!" she yelled. She shook her head. "No, that's not important! You know that spell's risks, don't you?! Yet, you're asking me to use it?! And why would I bring that _woman_ back?!" She spoke the word 'woman' like it was the vilest thing in the world.

"You don't need to worry about the side effects," Shura simply said as he stared at her. "Besides, having Ur brought back to life could be a good thing. A mage on the same level as a Wizard Saint would be handy to have around."

Ultear sneered. "Of course you'd care only about her capabilities and of your own selfish needs!"

"Given your own history, do you really think you're one to talk?" That silenced her. "Why do you even hate her anyways?"

She shook her head, refusing to answer his question." NO! I won't do it! That woman never did act like my mother anyway. Even after I came back..." She gritted her teeth tightly.

Shura continued staring at her, unnerving her deeply. "That's what your mouth is saying, but your eyes are different, Ultear," he said.

"Why do you care?" Ultear whispered, bowing her head as tears fell from her eyes.

Before, Shura didn't have his answer. Now, he did. "Because no one else would," he whispered, resting his forehead against her own. "If you had the chance, even partially, to see her again, to question her why she did those things, wouldn't you?"

Ultear was silent, before she shook her head again. "I-I can't."

Shura sighed, closing his eyes. "Then I'm sorry."

Confused, Ultear stood as Shura muttered, "Lesser Body Possession." She gasped as her soul was pushed to the deepest parts of her body, allowing Shura's own will and part of his own soul to lodge itself inside of her.

"Ultear," Shura muttered, causing her to freeze. "Use Last Ages on the ice covering Deliora."

Ultear wanted to scoff at the order, there was no way she would do it. But her eyes widened in horror when her body began to move on its own. She couldn't even scream out in rage as her hands were placed the ice prison.

The time mage looked back at him with sweat running down her face. She complied with the order and channelled her magical power in the ice. "Arc of Time: Last Ages!" she casted.

A bright light emerged from her body as her enormous quantities of magic slammed into the Iced Shell. Her body began to tremble as her veins drastically bulged. The light got brighter as if signalling the rewinding of time. The Ice began to slowly turn into water, showing the demon's features more clearly. Even though Ultear's had an enormous amount of magical power, it was dying down rapidly.

The purple haired woman never felt such a pain in her life, it was unbearable. She felt like her insides were being burned by scathing flames. As she to feel like she was going to die, she gasped as Shura's soul touched her own. From that contact, she could feel a multitude of things. Ultear felt his unearthly amounts of magical power, dwarfing hers like a star would dwarf an open fire. She could feel the unbalance of his own soul, leading to dozens - no, _hundreds _of different souls. Each with their own feel of magic that left her nauseous at the many different sensations.

Shura's magic felt... cold. Dark, like an abyss. Yet had an unstable, chaotic feel to it that would've killed her if it was unleashed at full force. Before she could feel anything else, she felt his magic envelop her. Ultear didn't know how long it lasted, because to her it seemed like an eternity, but the Ice eventually completely turned into water. it seemed to be glowing gold and blue. The water seemed to be gathering together and forming a figure. Ultear's eyes could not get any wider as she gazed at the woman figure that emerged from the water. The woman who gave birth to her. Completely naked, with short dark hair and one leg missing. Ur fell on the ground, seemingly unconscious.

A silence fell on the cave. Shura stopped his spell, gazing at the naked and unconscious woman before him. Ultear stared at the woman she hated the most, or so she told herself. She had to fight the urge to go and hug her. After all, the only thing she wanted when she joined Grimoire Heart was to see her mother again. She was completely lost, as she was about to reach to her. Deliora woke as well from his decade-long sleep with a massive roar of anger.

The sound shook almost all the Island. His eyes glowed red with malice and bloodlust until they spotted Ur on the ground. He immediately recognized the woman who sealed him for ten years and raised his massive fist. He thrust it down on the woman, fully intending to crush her.

Ultear watched in horror as the fist neared her mother. She couldn't even move as her magical power was reduced drastically from the spell she used. When the fist was two feet above Ur, it was completely caught by a shadowy hand.

"It seems like your spell also affected Deliora as well, rewinding time around him to the moment he was sealed," Shura noted, still using the shadows to hold Deliora's arm in place. The demon's growls and snarls didn't deter him. "Excellent. Now I can interrogate _and _kill it at the same time. Now, take Ur and leave."

"But-" "Go," he simply interrupted, but that was all that was needed. As fast as she could move, Ultear quickly grabbed Ur's body and dragged her away, far enough for Shura not to concern himself with her.

Deliora growled, slowly breaking out of the shadowy hand's grip. Shura sneered at it. "You really are an ugly son of a bitch, aren't you?"

"**WRAAAAAAGH**!" was his reply. Shura nodded simply. Then- "Chaos God's Bellow!" A torrent of chaos magic rushed forward, connecting with the demon as it growled, pushed back by the intense blast of magic. Shura cancelled the attack, seeing the damage done. A puncture wound formed on Deliora's chest, however it slowly began to heal itself.

"So, you can heal yourself, eh?" Shura gave a big, bloodthirsty grin, his crimson eyes burning with the colour of hellfire. "I'm going to enjoy this _faaar _more than I should."

Deliora seemed to spot Shura and opened his large maw. Lime-coloured energy began to gather inside his mouth. After he gathered enough, he shot a large, powerful beam from his mouth straight at him, who dodged at the last second. An enormous amount of flames erupted from the ground, wreaking havoc on the cave and outside of it until it reached almost half of the island.

Shura whistled at the damage done. "Impressive, demon. Now that you've shown me yours, let me show you mine." A large amount of darkness quickly formed under the demon's feet, making it look at it in confusion. "Darkness Storm," Shura muttered.

Suddenly, beneath Deliora, he summoned forth a gargantuan amount of dark energy. It enveloped and slammed into Deliora with unprecedented force, lifting it off its feet and sending it up into the ceiling of the cavern, where it crashed mightily. Roars of pain could be heard above the storm of shadows. The cave shook in the presence of the sheer power the attack was releasing. For a seemingly endless amount of seconds, the torrent of shadows hit the demon, until cracks appearing in the wall. Within seconds, the attack was breaking through the wall and sending Deliora flying into the air.

Shura cackled in deranged laughter as he leapt after the demon, eyes alight with bloodlust.

**Okay, okay, okay! Before anyone says anything, let me just say:**

**I know that I should upload my Marvel fic (and I will do so soon) but this... this wouldn't leave me alone. Like, I had this chapter half-way done and was like 'you know what? Imma start on this for a little while and come back to it later'. Lo and behold, it seems like I got so drawn into it that I ended up making a chapter.**

**So - to all those who awaited a chapter - congratulations. Ya got one.**

**Hope y'all liked the lemon and the rest of the chapter. And before anyone says anything; yes, Last Ages can work on the ice that is Ur (also Ur's back, so yay!) and restore Deliora from his near-death state to his prime.**

**Also, a farewell to side-characters who got killed. You will be dearly missed (mainly Sherry, the rest I don't give a shit about).**

**Next chapter is the fight with Deliora, Ur being recruited and another mystery fight (okay, it's not really a mystery to only a select few who guessed correctly).**

**Now, Guest review time:**

*** This is going to be addressed to a majority of the reviews (and future reviews): this story isn't a copy of Sir Lucifer Morningstar's Fairy Tail fanfiction 'Deicide'. When I read reviews telling me this, I read the story - as 'Force Without Balance' was the only story of his that caught my attention at the time - and I admit that it's good. Also, I see where people are coming from. But no, it's not a copy. Here's how this story came into fruition:**

**i) Nifrit isn't a copy of Eris. I needed my OC to have his life dedicated to killing a god (hence, God Slayer Magic). The gender was irrelevant. Originally, Nifrit was going to be male, but I decided to make her female on a whim. That's it.**

**ii) Nifrit's and Shura's interactions; while Jason (SLM's OC) and Eris have an almost identical interaction as Nifrit and Shura, I didn't base it off of this. In actuality, I based it off of what I'd imagine Ankhersam's and Zeref's interaction would be if Ankhersam was actually seen in the story.**

**iii) Using the element of Chaos; I like using Chaos. Seriously, see my other stories and you'd know. Arcane CHAOS. In my DxD story, my OC has the Power of CHAOS. Why I like having my Marvel OC use Chaos Magic more in the story than I should, etc.**

**So, yeah. Done with that.**

**1) Thanks**

**2) True point. Also, confused you with TheStormMaster567. Is that you using his account, or vice versa?**

**That's it. I'll definitely now upload my Marvel fic. Also, love to all those who f,f,r and r the story. Love to all y'all.**

**Read and Review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16:**

Giving out a demonic wail, Deliora sends out a wave of dark magic from his maw. Acting quickly, Shura summoned a large shield of darkness that blocked the attack, happy to sense that Ultear was completely gone from the cave.

Cracking his neck, blood gushed out of his gourds as he used his magic. "Blood-Make: Blood Arrows!"

Multiple arrows of blood formed from Shura's will, firing at breakneck speeds towards the demon. Snarling, Deliora took the attacks with no visible effect as he roared, firing off another round of dark magic that destroyed the oncoming arrows and headed towards Shura. Rolling to the side, the God Slayer continued moving to avoid the continuous beam of energy that destroyed the ground around him.

"Shadow Dance!" he intoned, waves of darkness forming around the cave and bending to his will, tendrils formed and sliced at Deliora's large body. The demon growled and hissed, more annoyed than wounded. Eventually, the tendrils started to form even quicker and faster, causing Deliora to lose his balance, if only for a few seconds. But that was all Shura needed.

"Obsidian Blast!" he followed up, using one of his more powerful Darkness attacks. A giant orb of shadows formed in front of Shura as he grabbed and clenched it in his fist, making the palm hiss slightly. Rearing his fist back, Shura cocked his fist forward, a gargantuan blast of black energy shooting forth, racing towards Deliora at high speeds. Surprised, Deliora roared as the attack hit, blasting him backwards and making him connect with the wall behind him.

Outside the temple, Ultear grunted and cursed as she carried her mother outside - who was wrapped in a jacket she'd brought along - looking hopeful to see any villagers nearby. It was highly unlikely, but the thought of someone else taking this... _woman _off of her hands, and far away from her, would be welcomed completely.

She growled as she thought of Shura. _That arrogant, ignorant son of a bit- GAH!_

Her thoughts were cut off as the ground beneath her began to shake violently. Then, she felt

Shura's power - for some odd reason, she couldn't detect a hint of magic in the attack he'd likely used - rose to incredible levels, nearing the unfathomable, clearly being the main cause behind the earth's tremor. Ultear's widened as far as they could. Her breath was stolen from her lungs as she felt the incredible pressure crashing over her body like a falling meteor.

All of sudden, she was caught by surprise, almost losing her balance as a gigantic cone of darkness suddenly emerged from the side of the temple, with gargantuan destructive power that rendered anything in its path to dust. The cone, black as the darkest night sky, sent a shockwave that rattled Ultear's body.

Her hair whipping across her face as she held onto the prone form of her mother, Ultear gasped as she was almost blown away. "Just what the hell is he doing over there?!" she yelled against the whipping winds.

The cone continued to darken the entire night sky. From within it, Deliora was thrown to the forest, roaring in pain all the way until he crashed into the forest with an earth-shaking crash, resulting in a large dust cloud that crushed trees and other wildlife in the process. No sign of movement was apparent from the demon.

Ultear blinked, stunned at the display. _I-Incredible, _she thought to herself. However, another angry roar broke her out of her thoughts. Deliora pushed himself up by his elbows, the wounds on his body healing right before her shocked eyes. Deliora roared, shaking the very island it stood on.

However, before she could attempt to do anything, Shura flew out of the hole Deliora had made, draconic wings protruding from his back. He come to a stop right above Deliora, looking down at the demon with an evil smirk. His blood-red eyes glowed with an unholy sadistic glee as he then placed his arms above each other until the bottom of his hands met. A dark aura surrounded his entire body, shadows being drawn from every corner around him.

"Let's see how you deal with this, Yakusai no Akuma (Demon of Destruction)!" Shura bellowed, expanding the now rapidly forming ball of darkness in his palms and throwing it towards the demon, the orb rapidly growing as big as the demon himself.

Giving a roar that shook all but the half-Etherious, Deliora glared at the ball as it slammed into him. He was fast enough to raise both his massive arms and block it with them. The collision caused a hurricane of air to be released, tearing the earth apart and crushing objects nearby with its sheer power and gravity. The monstrous attack seemed too much even for a demon of Deloria's calibre, as he was being pushed backward several feet away, creating drag marks.

From looking at his palms, the gigantic orb of darkness seemed to drag the demon into it, the gravity of the attack being resisted only just by the demon's might. In the end, however, the demon was able to push back the attack before it exploded in a maelstorm of shadowy wisps that destroyed the ground, earth and the very air around the two demonic beings.

Deliora gave a roar of victory as it had seen itself successful in the struggle, but Shura didn't give him time to celebrate. "**Yol**!" he Shouted, the gout of powerful dragon fire burning Deliora's face as it tried to swat the flames away. Requipping Dragonslayer**(1)** into his hands, he gave a savage slash at the Etherious' torso, drawing black blood from the gaping wound. Deliora wasn't even given chance to roar as another strong swipe upwards allowed his jawline to be cleaved in half.

The loud, agonising roar that resulted from the action spurred Shura forward, a malevolent grin on his face as he bellowed out his attack again. "Obsidian Blast!" the God Slayer intoned, the blast of obsidian energy zooming forward. It slammed into Deliora's torso with earth-shattering force. The demon roared as the blast practically destroyed his insides, flying away as the Obsidian Blast was obliterating the forest in the process. The ground shook as he crashed into it, his massive body sporting numerous wounds, along with a hole in his torso.

Shura softly landed on the ground and looked at the downed figure of the demon. He frowned, knowing that his attack wasn't strong enough to kill him. Deliora wasn't known to be an immortal Etherious for nothing, after all. His thoughts proved to be accurate as Deliora began to stand up, albeit slowly. Dark energy started to surround the demon as Shura, Ultear and Lyon - who had woken up from being knocked unconscious - inspected what was happening. The demon that they thought they downed was standing in front of them, completed healed.

"I-Impossible! H-How did it heal itself?!" Lyon shouted, as his body shivered in fear. His delusions of defeating Deliora himself were shattered the more he witnessed the battle between the Blood-dimmed King and the Demon of Destruction. He knew he could never reach such levels of power, never hope to compete against such... such a _monster. _

Ultear frowned, seeing that the damage done to Deliora had completely vanished. She then looked towards Shura, who continued to have a sadistic light in his eyes. Narrowing her eyes, she thought to herself, _What exactly is he planning to do?_

Deliora's eyes shone in the night, flooded with bloodlust and destruction as they glared at Shura. Suddenly, the demon aimed his left fist forward, firing off a quick blast of demonic energy. Shura's eyes widened as the monstrous attack slammed into him, sending him flying back at immense speeds. His back was painfully smashed into many trees before hitting the ground, the resultant explosion blinding many who were watching the fight. Shura finally came to a stop as he skidded on the ground, his eyes never losing focus of the rapidly approaching demon.

Shura continued to grin as Deliora's fist buried him into the ground. The instant his body was slammed into the ground, a gigantic crater exploded, with a shockwave. Many people watched in horror while Ultear growled, thinking that the fool wouldn't be able to survive that. The demon shoved his fist down with more force before he began to pummel Shura deeper and deeper into the ground, deepening the crater. The barrage of deadly punches seemed to never stop.

Deliora ceased his onslaught to inspect the carnage he had wrought, grinning evilly at the bloody paste that was in the crater before him. "Heavenly Wrath!" Shura's voice called out, bombarding Deliora from behind with a barrage of light attacks, damaging the demon more than suspected. Deliora hissed and snarled in pain as the light burned his demonic body.

_I do so love Blood-Make: Blood Clones, _Shura thought to himself, grinning. Magic creeping off of every pore of his body, Shura gathered blood from his gourds, focusing into one single point.

Deliora roared and opened his large maw, enraged. Lime-coloured energy gathered in front of his mouth, forming a dense ball of energy. With another roar, he discharged a massive beam toward the ball, stronger than anything he let out in the past.

The sphere of blood formed in front of him, Shura grimaced as he bit the dense ball of blood, the magic seeping through every bit of his body. Rearing his own head back as blood seeped from his lengthened canines and teeth, Shura fired his own attack. "Blood-Make: Bloody Explosion!"

A crimson blast of blood and magic fired from Shura's mouth like a laser, pushing the God Slayer back slightly as his attack shot forward. The collision between the two attacks caused a sonic boom to erupt as an explosion of magical power clashing violently against one another. The power and size of the two attacks lit up the sky. Deliora roared again, and suddenly the beam doubled in size and density, overpowering Shura's by a wide margin.

Eyebrow raised, Shura drew more and more blood from his gourds around his body to enlarge his own attack as it quadrupled in size, pushing the beam back slightly. The struggle of dominance lasted only a few seconds before the two attacks exploded in a destructive, bloody explosion that billowed outwards, filling the forest and the rest of the temple, destroying nearby wildlife and earth. A mass amount of air and blood was released by the explosion, causing the audience to grip anything to not be blown away.

Ultear gritted her teeth, knowing that the high-level magic being flung around would be more and more catastrophic for her if she continued to stick around. Holding Ur's unconscious form, she quickly ran to the village nearby to protect the both of them.

Lyon was nowhere to be seen, the shockwave blowing him away as he hit a nearby tree, falling unconscious as his skull collided with it.

A series of new flashes broke out, slightly obscured by the falling debris and blood. a clear indication that the fight was still going on. Streaks of red flew from Shura's form as he leapt towards the demon. "Blood-Make: Blood Stakes!" he intoned. A magic circle formed underneath Deliora as spikes of blood rose from the ground, impaling his foot and impeding his movements. Deliora roared, struggling to overcome the onslaught of bloody spikes. Not to mention that his healing was struggling to overcome the attack, as the blood started to seep into its pierced holes.

Smirking at seeing the successful action's, Shura gathered the nearby shadows, forming a large, shadowy claw on his right arm **(A.N. - Looks similar to Nero's Devil Bringer from DMC).**

"Darkness Bringer!" Shura called out .His hair whipping wildly, he grinned savagely as he lashed it out at Deliora, whom in preparation met his attack head-on, resulting in both his fist and the demon's giant clawed fist to collide. A deep emerald energy surrounded Deliora while a dark black aura surrounded Shura, their powers clashing against each other. A bright light erupted, blinding the vision of those nearby and still standing watching as the two _monsters_ continued to fight for dominance, the ground several meters below them cratered. Cracks started extending for hundreds of meters across.

Deliora kept on roaring, kept on pouring more power into his attack, only for Shura to hold firm, his crimson eyes glaring balefully at the demon before him.

"You think you can make me submit, Etherious?!" Shura snarled, his hatred pumping more and more power into his own attack, strengthening it. Pushing back only slightly, Shura's Darkness Bringer clenched Deliora's own closed fist, shattering it with ease. Deliora roared, but Shura just aimed his shadowy arm at Deliora's face, bringing the demon down to his level. Teeth revealed to the world, Shura cackled as he began to slam Deliora into the ground repeatedly, getting roar after roar from said demon.

"I'll crush you! All of your kind! All until you're nothing but dust! Hahahaha! HAHAHAHAHA!" Shura maniacally laughed, madness creeping into his eyes as he kept on slamming the demon repeatedly, the ground being destroyed as a result.

Halting slightly, one of Shura's claws pierced Deliora's eye, causing the demon to howl in agony. That was stopped, however, by Shura Requipping Dragonslayer and cutting the demon's neck slightly, making him gurgle out black blood. Eyes alight at the carnage, Shura glared at the struggling demon as he panted. He wanted so _badly _to slay Deliora right there and then, but... but he needed to be patient. Yes, yes, yes... patient. Information... needed. Then this demon's death.

"You... have information I need," Shura hissed sharply. "I know that as mindless as you are, you are capable of speech."

Deliora's remaining eye glared fiercely at the God Slayer. Nevertheless, he growled out, "**W-What... do you want... pitiful huma-AAAACK!"**

Shura's embedded claw pierced even further through Deliora's head, all the way to his 'supposed' brain. "Shut up, you filthy mongrel! You are at _my _mercy! Now, tell me where Tartaros is!"

Through the pain, Deliora's eyes widened, before they narrowed. **"What would you need the information on Tartaros' whereabouts for?"**

"ANSWER THE QUESTION!" Shura roared, using his Blood-Make magic to manipulate Deliora's inside. The demon howled as he felt his blood _boil _in agony, paralyzing him completely. Deliora continued to roar, only to hack up more and more black blood, which was tinted red, oddly enough.

"**W-What have... you done... to m-me?" **the demon whispered, his voice weaker.

"Lullaby told me that you know of the location of Tartaros. Speak what I want to know, or I'll continue causing you agony."

Wheezing, Deliora did his best to explain. **"I-I... I only know... that the guild Tartaros... i-is located on the Cube. A floating island in the air. Unreachable by normal means. O-Only a fellow Etherious can reach the guild... but even then... the Nine Demon Gates will be aware of your coming..."**

"That... is none of your concern," Shura snarled, frowning. Unreachable by normal means... only an Etherious was able to reach the place... Loathe as he was to admit it, he technically counted as an Etherious. Meaning that the entrance would be available to him, only if he were to locate this... this Cube. He needed a better tracker... the Eye of Hermaeus Mora wouldn't work properly without the proper knowledge... or magic.

Staring at Deliora's weakening form, he smiled. He might not have the location in mind, but he _could _use Deliora. All he had to do was keep track of any unknown or unregistered objects in the air, and track any demonic energies... and he knew just what to use.

"It seems like you've served your purpose," Shura remarked, retracting the claw and dismissing the Darkness Bringer. He stepped back as Deliora slowly rose, his wounds healing slowly. A fanged grin appeared on the demon's face.

"**You shouldn't have done that, fool."**

"Oh, you poor, deluded demon..." Shura disappeared, and Deliora felt hands grip his neck and head. With an untold amount of force, Deliora screeched in absolute agony - the sound raised in pitch the longer things went on - as the flesh on his neck started to stretch. It kept on stretching, and stretching, and _stretching. _This went on until-

_RIIIIIIIIIIP!_

A fountain's worth of black blood erupted from the severed stump that was Deliora's neck. The body fell with a _thud, _no healing aura covering it whatsoever. Shura hefted the head of Deliora in his hands, immensely enjoying the look of horror and anguish on the demon's face.

"... I always know what I'm doing," Shura finished, grinning evilly.

**XXX**

Shura appeared in a flurry of shadows in the village, startling many. Moka looked at Shura carefully. "W-We heard the noises... y-you were battling the demon that was hidden in the temple?"

"Yes," Shura nodded, walking towards Ultear once he'd seen her. "He's dead."

There were a number of gasps and shouts of shock from the villagers that the Chaos God Slayer promptly ignored. He bent down to look at the unconscious Ur, patting her face gently.

"It looks like she'll need serious medical attention," he muttered, looking back up to Ultear. She just continued to glare at him. He sighed. "Are you still angry at me?"

"Yes!" Ultear yelled, exploding visibly. "How dare you control me like that and-and force me to revive her?! You had no right!"

Shura sighed. "Like I told you before; having a mage on par with the Ten Wizard Saints would be a major advantage to us-"

"Excuse me!" Moka butted in, drawing annoyed glances from the arguing duo. "But what are you going to do about the moon? We still-"

Infuriated, Shura drew the Ebony Blade, unsheathing it and slashing upward while channelling magic through the weapon, causing black crescent arcs to appear from it. They sailed towards the top of the sky, straight towards the moon, until the attacks seemed to hit what looked to be a physical barrier. The barrier was quickly destroyed by the attack, shattering like glass.

The moon from behind the now destroyed magical barrier looked exactly the same, with no changes whatsoever. Moka blinked. "W-Wha-"

"You all are demons, this is a demon island, and the effects of the Moon Drip gave you all amnesia. Good? Good," Shura quickly summarised. He then turned to look at Ultear again, ready to argue, only to pause as he heard groaning from Ur's prone form.

Ur's eyes fluttered slightly, and then rapidly. Her dark eyes opened slowly, struggling to take in all of the new images before her. She grunted as her body felt stiff, not even able to feel most of her limbs. She tried to speak, but coughed slightly.

Shura quickly turned to one of the villagers. "Get me some water! Quickly!"

Shocked, the villager did just that, a jug of water in her hand a few seconds later. Shura took it, crouching down to gently place it at Ur's lips. He held her back while he helped her drink. "Easy, easy."

Her vision now properly cleared, Ur slowly turned around, first looking at Shura, then at the rest of the villagers. "W-Where... how... D-Deliora-"

"Is dead," Shura assured, placing his hand on her shoulder as to calm her. "Don't worry, Ur Milkovich. You're on Galuna Island. It's been... quite a while since you've been, well... alive."

"Alive?" she questioned, rubbing her head. "H-How? All I remember... is casting Iced Shell... so, how am I free?"

"That would be due to your daughter's aid," Shura answered, making Ultear stiffen. She made to leave, only for Shura to glare at her, freezing her in her tracks.

Ur's eyes widened, almost knocking the jug of water out of her way. "M-My daughter?! H-How do you know of-" Due to her moving rapidly, she whirled around, catching a glimpse of Ultear's grimace. Her eyes widened even further, shock running through her body. "U-U-Ultear..."

Ultear scowled. "Hello... _mother." _She would've continued with more vitriol, only for Ur to dash forward, wrapping her daughter in a massive hug. Ultear's eyes widened as Ur rested her head in the crook of her neck, sobbing uncontrollably all of a sudden.

"My baby girl... my beautiful Ul..." Ur sniffed, crying tears of joy.

Shura made to say something, only for his eyes to widen. Ur's movements towards her daughter - while endearing and sweet - had also caused the jacket she'd been given to cover herself to fall off, allowing her naked back to be on display for everyone.

Shura's eyes glazed over a bit from looking at Ur's thin waist and large ass cheeks as the rest of the male villagers wolf-whistled. Confused as to what the noise was, Ultear moved her neck around Ur's head to look at everyone, and then down at her naked mother.

Ultear blinked for a good few seconds... before an enraged expression appeared on her face. "STOP LOOKING AT MY MOTHER, YOU FUCKING PERVS!" she roared, teal orbs appearing from nowhere and striking any nearby watcher with unrelenting force.

Ur chuckled through her sobs. "Not even a minute of waking up, and I'm already naked..."

**XXX**

"Again, let us thank our guests for saving and helping our entire village!" Moka yelled, raising his glass of alcohol in the air.

"YEAH!" the rest of the villagers shouted in response, downing their own drinks and cheering.

Shura sighed as he sipped his own drink, the celebration party going in full swing. After the revelation of the residents of Galuna Island being demons all this time, they quickly took it in stride, their amnesia not even bothering them in the slightest. To celebrate the completion of the mission - as well as the sudden reveal of the chief's son, Bobo, being alive all this time - pushed everyone into the festive mood immediately.

As Shura relaxed, his eyes darted towards the forest where Ur and Ultear were stationed. Admittedly, it was likely a bad idea to put the two together; with Ultear's clear hatred of her mother, and Ur herself trying to get her bearings of her still alive. It was a surefire way of disaster. Unfortunately, he had to get the two together. Not only to have Ur recruited into his ranks, but also to have Ultear more... willing to work with him. As underhanded the thought was, the Chaos God Slayer could not and would not deny the benefits.

Sighing, he pinched the bridge of his nose, a headache already forming in his head. "I really wish I could get myself drunk... fuck it, more Nord Mead it is."

As Shura brought out his flask of mead, he unknowingly caught the attention of every demon within his vicinity. As the tip of the flask touched his lips, he froze upon seeing all eyes on him.

"My boy... what kind of... exotic drink is that?" Moka questioned, his eyes focused narrowly on Shura's Nord Mead.

Shura looked back to his drink, then to the chief elder. "Nothing," he quickly answered. Somehow, he assumed that giving the drink around to demons would be... very problematic.

Bobo's eyes became laser-focused as he stared at Shura. "No... no, I think that you're hiding something from us. Perhaps, a powerful drink that would go well with this party?"

Shura hid the mead in his Requip space, backing away slightly as all the demons seemed to stalk towards him menacingly. He frowned in thought. On one hand, he could kill all of them here and sate his thirst for demonic blood, claiming that he was simply drunk, and attacked by other drunks as well. Cruel and horrific, but the excuse was there. On the other hand, these demons were... well, they were damn pathetic on the demonic hierarchy. Not to mention, innocent.

"I think we all just need to calm down-" Shura started to say, but unfortunately, no one listened to him.

"GET HIM!" Moka yelled out, causing others to shout something similar and chase for him. Sighing, Shura dashed in the other direction, not even willing to deal with this shitstorm.

**XXX**

_(Hargeon Port, Hargeon Town)_

The next day, Shura, Ultear, Ur and Lyon had arrived at the port, with Shura using his 'Raizen' persona. After eventually wearing out the drunken demons, he had quickly snagged the Golden Zodiac Key that was with them as a prize, planning to gift it to Lucy. As much as he treasured his Celestial Spirit Magic - which allowed him to be close to the two Heartfilia's in his life - it was his most underdeveloped magic. And besides, from questioning Capricorn, the Sagittarius Key was weak, which obviously didn't suit him.

The God Slayer turned to look at Ultear. "I presume that you and your mother have... talked?"

Ultear scowled, simply saying nothing more. However, her scowl wasn't as deep or as menacing as her usual ones, leading him to believe that the Time Mage was somewhat at peace.

Ur frowned as she looked at him. "Yeah, we did. Speaking of which..." Marching forward quickly, Ur reared her hand back and slapped him across the face. Shura had obviously seen the motion beforehand, but had let the slap hit him, as he had an idea about why she did so.

Ultear's eyes widened, Lyon's jaw dropped, and those watching were shocked. However, Ultear quickly gave the audience a glare, causing them to quickly scurry off elsewhere.

Shura's face didn't turn as he stared at Ur's furious eyes. "I'd take it that that was due to me branding your daughter?"

"You're damn right it is!" Ur yelled, looking to smack him again, only for him to catch her wrist, squeezing slightly.

"Look, as much as I regret my actions, it was a necessary. Just as it was a necessary for me to revive you to recruit you into Erebus' Pit, my guild."

"Like hell!" Ur yelled, glaring at him as she struggled to free herself. "My other remaining student is in Fairy Tail, so that's where me, my daughter and Lyon are heading!"

"You're not very bright, are you?" Shura questioned sarcastically, getting the Ice Mage to glare harder at him. "You're daughter is working undercover for the Magic Council, where in reality, she was a former Dark Guild member, and is now working for me. Lyon Vastia was planning to resurrect an Etherious demon that would've destroyed Galuna Island, and also would've caused untold amounts of destruction. Due to this, it's likely that his history and actions are either recorded, or will be recorded, leading to him being put in jail.

"And then there's _you._" Shura's words had Ur paling with each impact, but he continued. "You're a recently revived woman who sealed said Etherious demon and is now planning to bring both mentioned characters to arguably the most popular guild in Magnolia. Even if I didn't plan to recruit you, chances are two out of three of you would be either executed or jailed for a _very _long time. While you'd probably be interrogated and be forced to join the Ten Wizard Saints. So..." Shura leaned forward to stare into Ur's uncertain eyes. "... what's it going to be?"

Ur sneered, losing more and more of her hostility. "Even with those facts, I don't care. One way or another, I'm going to see Gray."

Shura shrugged. "That's fine... unless you're content with leaving your daughter and likely never seeing her again."

Ur's eyes widened as Ultear gave a raised eyebrow. "W-Wha-"

"Did you honestly think I'd let Ultear go with you on the chance that you'd reject me? At the moment, she's too valuable for me to lose her. And if you don't follow me, you'll never see her."

"You bastard," Ur hissed angrily. "Don't you have a heart?! You'd separate me from both my daughter and student, who I haven't seen since they were so young?!"

Pushing down the rising pain at manipulating others, Shura simply glared at her. "If you refuse to follow me, yes. However, to appease you, if I encounter Gray Fullbuster along my path, I will spare his life."

"That's the only mercy you'd grant me?!" the elder Ice Mage hissed.

"Considering my path ahead, yes," Shura answered, already knowing the answer to his proposal.

Ur simply glared at him for a few more minutes, before she sighed reluctantly. "I-I... I'll... join you. But I want you to remove the brand on Ultear if I do."

"No deal," Shura denied instantly. "I don't trust her. Not fully. She knows my name and fault, and - while that is my own fault - any leniency would be the death of me."

"You know, I'd almost take pride in that," Ultear retorted sarcastically.

"Probably the only thing you _can _take pride in," Shura muttered, making Ultear glare at him.

"I'll assure you that she stays loyal. She's my daughter," Ur tried to bargain, only for Shura to scoff.

"Really? The daughter that hates you? The daughter that has lived without you, resenting your very memory up till this day? Oh, yes. I'm sure you can convince her."

"You're not giving me much to work with," Ur hissed.

"The fact that both your daughter and your students are still alive, despite one having a pass due to reasons, is more than enough to assure you that I'm being the generous one here. _Especially _considering that I haven't branded you or Lyon."

"And why haven't you branded me yet?" Lyon asked curiously.

"Simple. You're an idiot, who's loyalty can be easily bought. Ultear is far more dangerous if left unchecked and unbranded."

A tick mark appeared on his head. "HEY!" he yelled, however, Shura ignored him, still staring at Ur's contemplative face. Hesitating while staring at Ultear's frowning face, she sighed. "Alright," she fully decided. "But I want to take Lyon along."

Shura hesitated. "If you can keep him in line and make sure he's fully competent, that's fine," he finally decided. Best to make sure that she's fully cooperative. And having an extra Ice-Make Mage wouldn't hurt to have, with enough training, of course.

Covering Lyon's already opened mouth, Ur said, "Deal."

Nodding to himself, Shura smiled widely. "Good."

**XXX**

_(Unknown Forested Field, Fiore)_

"Maaaan..." Gildarts Clive, the Ace of Fairy Tail, sighed as he stood in the deserted forest. Scratching his beard, he winced as he numbly felt his prosthetic limbs from his brief encounter with Acnologia.

He shivered to himself. _The less I see of that... _monster, _the better, _he thought to himself. Grumbling to himself, he shook his head. "Master ain't letting me rest. First failing that quest, then recovering, and _now _to hunt a SS-Class Dark Mage?"

Gildarts' face hardened at the last bit. "However, I think I can make an exception for this quest..."

_Flashback_

_"Hahahaha! It's true!" Gildarts drunkenly bragged, arms wrapped around two buxom beauties as he poured himself another glass. "I did kick his ass! All with one hand tied behind my back!"_

_"Well, aren't _you _a strong mage!" the woman on his left, who was a beautiful blonde, giggled, slapping a hand on his chest playfully. "Sounds like you fit all of my standards!"_

_"Yeah, mine too!" the brunette on his right pouted._

_Gildarts just chuckled. "Well, yeah! Sexy face, sexy body, a powerful wizard..." He leaned in to whisper into both of their ears. "... a beast in the sack!"_

_"Oh, my!" the two of them giggled. Just as the three of them were about to head to his hotel, his communication lacrima started to beep. He sighed, his drunken haze somewhat broken._

_"Sorry, beauties," the Ace sighed, standing up. "I gotta take this. Important business."_

_The girls whined, but Gildarts reluctantly stepped away, shedding tears all while doing so. Exiting the bar, he held the communication lacrima up and activated it, seeing the visage of Makarov. "Master, what's the occasion?! You stopped from having a threesome with two beautiful-"_

_"Gildarts," Makarov interrupted softly, yet sternly. Focusing, Gildarts could tell that Makarov's face was filled with sorrow, making him cut off. "While I'd normally congratulate and apologise, this is more important."_

_"What is it, Master?" Gildarts asked, curious._

_So Makarov explained everything to him. How the Blood-dimmed King encountered his 'Strongest Team' and left most of them with grievous injuries. When he explained what happened to Natsu, Gildarts snapped. His Crash Magic activated in response to his emotions, destroying a large section of ground under him, leaving him in a gargantuan crater._

_"I see... and you need me to perform a little payback, huh?" Gildarts responded, his eyes becoming more narrowed and colder._

_"Yes," Makarov answered. __"But be careful. The boy is not an SS-Class criminal mage for no reason. Having defeated both Erza and Mirajane in combat shows that he is capable of using many skills. Not to mention the tales of him destroying Grimoire Heart by himself." _

_"Got it," Gildarts replied, tensed. "It's actually a relief. I'm just recovering from my one hundred-year quest."_

_"Recovering? So you've already completed it?" Makarov questioned._

_Gildarts winced. "I'll... tell you when I'm done with my now current job. Just know that it wasn't pretty."_

_"I see," Makarov said. __"Okay. I've had Cana use her tarot-card reading abilities to see if she could locate the Blood-dimmed King, but right now he is moving around so she can't pinpoint him. Not to mention that his magical signature is... somehow off. However, try and check along the old guild of Eisenwald. Perhaps you may encounter him around there."_

_"Well..." Gildarts sighed, cracking his neck. "Guess that's where I'm headed then. I'll be careful, Master. That king won't even know what hit him when I'm through with kicking his ass."_

_"Thank you, Gildarts. And good luck," Makarov signed off._

_End Flashback_

"... since I'm going to pound your face in, Blood-dimmed King," Gildarts promised, clenching his fist.

He continued onto his journey, closing his eyes to enjoy the peace and quiet of the forest. Hey, he may be a walking, talking natural disaster, but even he could enjoy some silence every once in a while.

Unfortunately, his silence was interrupted by him bumping into someone's shoulder. Gildarts' grunted as he frowned. _Strange. I didn't feel anyone coming towards me._

"Sorry about that, my fault. I didn't-" Gildarts started to say as he turned around, only to pause as he stared at the hooded back of a person. He frowned. This person's magic was... monstrous. Not just in terms of size, but in texture.

While the subtle parts of magic weren't his style, he'd lived long enough to develop a few unique skills to survive. One of them being sensing magic.

_This guy's magic is... dark. Heavy. Chaotic. Just like... _Gildarts shuddered. Just like Acnologia's magic.

"Hey, you!" Gildarts shouted as he dashed forward, suspicion creeping into him. He made to put his hand on the person's shoulder, but his wrist was caught before he could do that.

The unknown mage's eyes glared at him, and his heart stopped. The face was covered by a strange mask **(A.N. - Think of Dragon Ball Xenoverse Bardock's mask, but only his eyes are showing)**, a dark cloak covered his head, but those eyes. Those crimson eyes.

Snarling, Gildarts reared his fist back and shot it forward to punch the mage, but he caught it. His eyes widened at the strength as he was forced back slightly, grunting. Snarling, the unknown mage twisted Gildarts' wrist and forced the Crash Mage to the ground, kicking at his side and sending him skidding slightly.

"Piss off," Shura muttered, his voice much more darker and deeper. "Stay out of my way."

Gildarts glared at Shura, standing up as he dusted himself off. "Are you the Blood-dimmed King?"

Eyebrow raised at seeing the Fairy Tail Guild Mark, Shura's eyes narrowed. "Who's asking?"

"I am Gildarts Clive, S-Class Mage and Ace of Fairy Tail," the Crash Mage introduced, magic rolling from his skin.

Shura raised his eyebrow, annoyed. Another mage from Fairy Tail. He'd have thought that they would get the message and leave him alone. Apparently not. "Ace, huh? Guess you're above Titania, the Majin, and the Celestial Princess**(1)**."

"That's right," Gildarts said as his magic power burst forth in the form of a tower of silver and white energy. Shura felt the force of the magical pressure, his eyes widening as he sensed the powerful display in front of him.

_His magical power is around Hades' level... I guess Fairy Tail has actually powerful mages, _Shura thought to himself.

"In case it wasn't clear, lemme spell it out for you; I'm here to deal the payback for what you did to my friends. You nearly killed Mira and Erza, and you put Natsu into a coma! Not only that, but you dared to insult the name of Fairy Tail and what we stand for! I will not hesitate to make sure you are dealt with, Blood-dimmed King!"

Shura sighed, cracking his neck. "And here I thought that what I did to those fools would sink into your brain. You should know by now that I leave a trail of blood and death behind me where ever I go. And yet you challenge _me?" _Shura's own magic poured from his body, a crimson pillar rising from his own body. "You're proving my thoughts right. Seems like Fairy Tail mages really are stupid and suicidal."

Despite his talk, Shura was thinking of something different. _This guy is strong. I'll probably have to resort to my God Slayer Magic, and even then, I don't want to kill him. _Shura scowled. _Why can't these mages leave me alone?!_

"You will pay dearly for what you did to my nakama!" Gildarts snarled, his aura clashing with Shura's own.

"Let's see you still have that conviction when I'm through with you," Shura retorted. The wind picked up around them both as they stamped their feet on the ground and pushed off, their respective magics coiled around them. When they collided, the very forest around them exploded.

**Okay, I know I'm late to the party. And I'm sorry. This is my second chapter for 2020, believe it or not.**

**Reason I was delayed, laziness. And a shit ton of work, but also laziness.**

**Hope you liked the chapter. Ur's back, meaning that Shura's forces are still growing ever stronger. Another highlight is that Shura and Gildarts are fighting. Yay!**

**Don't ask me for the outcome of the fight. I won't tell you, either due to the victor being obvious, or I want to keep it a secret, still.**

**So, yeah. Expect more activity from me. Cuz, shit, I'm late to the party.**

**Guest Review time:**

**1) I get what you're saying, StormMaster567. But he has his needs, so he was gonna sleep with her anyways.**

**2) How is he a nice boy hero? He's the way his is due to trauma and vengeance. What, do you want him to be stoic, evil and murdering everyone he sees? NO! Because the people he's trying to kill have those exact characteristics! So why the fuck would he be exactly like them?!**

**Anywho, it's looking more likely that Celestial Ascension is gonna be updated next, so look out for that.**

**Thx to all those who f,f,r and r the story. Love y'all.**

**Read and Review!**


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